title: Butyrylcholinesterase K variant associated with higher enzyme activity in the temporal cortex of elderly patients.
abstract: There is evidence to suggest an involvement of the K variant of the butyrylcholinesterase gene (BCHE) in dementia. We have examined the relationship between BCHE genotype and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in autopsy brain tissue. We studied 164 autopsy cases, 144 with dementia and 20 controls, including 13 K homozygotes and 48 K heterozygotes, from three centres: Newcastle, Oxford and London. Mean BuChE activity in temporal cortex was 37% higher in K homozygotes than in wild-type homozygotes. Linear regression analysis, controlling for gender, diagnosis, age at death and study centre, showed that the number of BCHE-K alleles was associated with increasing BuChE activity (p=0.009).
authors.affiliation: Institute for Ageing and Health, Wolfson Research Centre, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 6BE, UK.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tasker
authors.forename: Clive G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Ballard
authors.forename: Catharine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Joachim
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Warden
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Okello
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: A David
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Elaine K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase / Q000235:genetics*; D003704:Dementia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase