Serum levels of S100B and NSE proteins in Alzheimer's disease patients.
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia in the elderly, and the potential of peripheral biochemical markers as complementary tools in the neuropsychiatric evaluation of these patients has claimed further attention.


METHODS
We evaluated serum levels of S100B and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in 54 mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and in 66 community-dwelling elderly. AD patients met the probable NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Severity of dementia was ascertained by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, cognitive function by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and neuroimage findings with magnetic resonance imaging. Serum was obtained from all individuals and frozen at -70 degrees C until analysis.


RESULTS
By comparing both groups, serum S100B levels were lower in AD group, while serum NSE levels were the same both groups. In AD patients, S100B levels were positively correlated with CDR scores (rho = 0.269; p = 0.049) and negatively correlated with MMSE scores (rho = -0.33; P = 0.048). NSE levels decreased in AD patients with higher levels of brain atrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that serum levels of S100B may be a marker for brain functional condition and serum NSE levels may be a marker for morphological status in AD.
Chaves
Márcia L
ML
Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. mchaves@hcpa.ufrgs.br
Camozzato
Ana L
AL
Ferreira
Eduardo D
ED
Piazenski
Isabel
I
Kochhann
Renata
R
Dall'Igna
Oscar
O
Mazzini
Guilherme S
GS
Souza
Diogo O
DO
Portela
Luis V
LV
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000097:blood*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; C579160:S100B protein, human; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase