Current Alzheimer Research - Volume 9, Issue 8, 2012

Different authors described that transthyretin (TTR) is decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and thus TTR is a potential CSF biomarker in AD. However, descriptions of what happens to TTR in plasma of these patients are lacking in the literature. We investigated TTR levels in plasma samples from 55 patients with mild-cognitive impairment (MCI), 56 patients with AD and 41 non-deme Read More

The role of microglia in β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition or clearance in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain remains unclear. Previous in vivo studies have focused primarily on the association of microglia with Aβ-positive parenchymal plaques, but have given little consideration to the possible interaction between Aβ and non-plaque associated microglia. Further, it is not known if microglia play a direct role in mediating Aβ uptak Read More

The clinical progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) was studied in European subjects under treatment with AChE inhibitors (AChE-I) in relation to geographical location over a 2-years period. One thousand three hundred and six subjects from 11 European countries were clustered into 3 regions (North, South, West) and investigated with biannual follow-up over 2 years. Primary outcomes were cognitive, functional and be Read More

It has been hypothesized that pro-inflammatory cytokines may play a pathogenic role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be protective against the development and progression of this disease. A reduced release of inflammatory cytokines by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AD patients dietary supplemented with a mixture Read More

According to the amyloid hypothesis, abnormal processing of the β-amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease patients increases the production of β-amyloid toxic peptides, which, after forming highly aggregated fibrillar structures, lead to extracellular plaques formation, neuronal loss and dementia. However, a great deal of evidence has point to intracellular small oligomers of amyloid peptides, probably transient i Read More

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in elderly persons. Quick diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease will allow treatments that may help slow its progression. The correlation between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) parameters and progression of Alzheimer's disease is higher than and independent of other risk factors. We have compared sixteen CSF samples of clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease patients with Read More

Brain task-negative networks (default mode network, DMN) and task-positive networks appear to operate largely in opposition, such that task-negative networks show activation during resting states, whilst task-positive networks are deactivated with the reverse being true during goal-oriented behavior. Altered DMN and task-positive network activity has been observed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) subj Read More

A chronic inflammatory response possibly mediated by Amyloid β (Aβ) is believed to be a major factor in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Studies suggest that the mediators of the inflammatory response, which might contribute to brain damage, involve cytokines, such as IL-1β. IL-1β could play an important part in the development of pathologic conditions. There is also an endogenous interleukin-1 receptor antagonist Read More

Granular non-fibrillar aggregates (GNAs) are identified as possible toxic species in Alzheimer's disease. GNAs form on the surface of negatively charged biological membranes and as a consequence of an acidic environment, off the polymerization pathway at neutral pH. Aβ (1-40) GNAs disturb the bilayer structure of model membranes and seem to be more toxic to cells with negatively charged membranes (consequenc Read More

In this article, we use longitudinal morphometry (shape and size) measures of hippocampus in subjects with mild dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) and nondemented controls in logistic discrimination. The morphometric measures we use are volume and metric distance measures at baseline and follow-up (two years apart from baseline). Morphometric differences with respect to a template hippocampus were measured by th Read More

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent type of dementia. Despite considerable advances in diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic procedures that are easily accessible are still sorely needed. Blood biomarkers are therefore in the focus of research. Platelets contain a high concentration of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which has been mentioned as a potentially useful diagnostic marker. The aim of the present study was Read More

Background/Aims: Hypercholesterolemia in midlife increases risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contributes to cerebrovascular dysregulation - an early finding in preclinical AD pathology. Statins improve vascular reactivity, but it is unknown if they increase regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in individuals at risk for AD. Methods: In a randomized, controlled, double-blind pilot study, 16 asymptomatic middle-aged adults with paren Read More