title: Cholinergic imbalance in the multiple sclerosis hippocampus.
abstract: Hippocampal pathology was shown to be extensive in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is associated with memory impairment. In this post-mortem study, we investigated hippocampal tissue from MS and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and compared these to non-neurological controls. By means of biochemical assessment, (immuno)histochemistry and western blot analyses, we detected substantial alterations in the cholinergic neurotransmitter system in the MS hippocampus, which were different from those in AD hippocampus. In MS hippocampus, activity and protein expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme, was decreased, while the activity and protein expression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the acetylcholine degrading enzyme, was found to be unaltered. In contrast, in AD hippocampus both ChAT and AChE enzyme activity and protein expression was decreased. Our findings reveal an MS-specific cholinergic imbalance in the hippocampus, which may be instrumental in terms of future treatment options for memory problems in this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.kooi@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Evert-Jan
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kooi
authors.forename: Marloes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bajic
authors.forename: Jeroen A M
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Beliën
authors.forename: Wouter H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Gerritsen
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Horssen
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aronica
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: van Dam
authors.forename: Jeroen J M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hoozemans
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Valk
authors.forename: Jeroen J G
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Geurts
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase