title: Cognitive correlates of alterations in acetylcholinesterase in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: We recently reported findings of modest loss of cortical acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in patients with overall mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) using N-[11C]methyl-pi-peridin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP) AChE positron emission tomography (PET). To determine cognitive correlates of in vivo cortical AChE activity in patients with mild to moderate AD (n=15), and in normal controls (NC, n=12) using [11C]PMP AChE PET imaging. Mean cortical AChE activity in the AD subjects was mildly reduced (-11.1%) compared to the control subjects (P<0.05). Analysis of the cognitive data showed that mean cortical AChE activity was significantly associated with performance on a test of attention and working memory (WAIS-III Digit Span, R=0.46, P=0.01) but not with tests of delayed short or long-term memory functions. Similar findings were present when the analysis was limited to the temporal cortex. Cortical AChE activity is more robustly associated with functions of attention and working memory compared to performance on primary memory tests in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Liliane S. Kaufmann Building, Suite 811, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. nbohnen@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Nicolaas I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Bohnen
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Kaufer
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hendrickson
authors.forename: Larry S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ivanco
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lopresti
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Constantine
authors.forename: Chester A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mathis
authors.forename: Robert Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Steven T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: DeKosky
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase