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1.
J Neural Transm (Vienna) ; 114(7): 885-91, 2007 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17318307

ABSTRACT

MK-801, a glutamergic, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist that mediates neurotransmission and has psychotomimetic properties, giving schizophrenia-like symptom. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects on the thalamic and cortical proteome of one typical (haloperidol) and one atypical (clozapine) antipsychotic drug in interaction with MK-801 in rats. Rats received subcutaneous injections of MK-801 or vehicle (controls) or MK-801 together with concurrent administration of haloperdol or clozapine for eight days. Protein samples from thalamus and cortex were analyzed with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with mass spectrometry. MK-801 induced alterations in the levels of three proteins in both cortex and thalamus. Clozapine reversed all the protein changes. Haloperidol reversed two. Both antipsychotics induced new protein changes in both cortex and thalamus not seen after MK-801-treatment by alone. In conclusion, the MK-801 animal model shows potential for investigation of different antipsychotic drugs and biochemical treatment effects in schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Clozapine/administration & dosage , Dizocilpine Maleate/administration & dosage , Haloperidol/administration & dosage , Proteome/analysis , Animals , Antipsychotic Agents/administration & dosage , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Combinations , Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/administration & dosage , Male , Proteome/biosynthesis , Proteome/genetics , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Serotonin Antagonists/administration & dosage , Thalamus/drug effects , Thalamus/metabolism
2.
Biochim Biophys Acta ; 1473(2-3): 391-9, 1999 Dec 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10594376

ABSTRACT

A quick two-step procedure involving liquid phase isoelectric focusing in the Rotofor cell in combination with electroelution in the Mini whole cell gel eluter has been used for purification of proteins from human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Fractions, each highly enriched in a single protein band and virtually free of other proteins, were selected for characterization by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Six CSF proteins, transferrin, alpha1-acid-glycoprotein, Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein E and beta-trace were identified by MALDI-TOFMS analysis of the tryptic digests. These results demonstrate that the combination of liquid phase IEF and electroelution is a rapid preparative two-dimensional separation which can provide single proteins of high purity, in yields sufficient for characterization by MALDI-TOFMS. Characterization of such brain-specific proteins in CSF will be useful in the investigation of the pathophysiology of different brain disorders.


Subject(s)
Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins/chemistry , Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional , Humans , Isoelectric Focusing , Peptide Mapping , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Trypsin
3.
Biol Psychiatry ; 46(12): 1698-702, 1999 Dec 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10624552

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that a lesion in the neuronal circuits of thalamus might contribute to the symptoms in schizophrenia. It has also been suggested that impaired synaptic transmission is an important component of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In the present study we assess the synaptic integrity of thalamus by means of examining the protein levels of: (1) synaptophysin, a membrane bound protein of small synaptic vesicles, and (2) chromogranins, a family of soluble secretory proteins stored and released from the secretory large dense-core vesicles. METHODS: The brains of 9 patients with schizophrenia and 9 age-matched control subjects were studied. The levels of synaptophysin and chromogranins were measured by radioimmunoassays. RESULTS: The amount of synaptophysin in the left thalamus was significantly decreased (p = .036) in the schizophrenic group (2655 +/- 605 nmol synaptophysin/mg total protein) compared to the control group (3248 +/- 827 nmol synaptophysin/mg total protein). There were no differences between the groups in the levels of chromogranins, nor in the levels of synaptophysin of the right thalamus. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate defect synaptic function in the left thalamus of patients with schizophrenia. This may be the cause of a reduction of synaptic terminals or a defect limited to certain structures of the synapse, namely the small presynaptic vesicles.


Subject(s)
Chromogranins/analysis , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Synaptic Transmission , Synaptophysin/analysis , Thalamus/metabolism , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Analysis of Variance , Brain Chemistry , Case-Control Studies , Dominance, Cerebral , Female , Humans , Male , Schizophrenia/physiopathology , Thalamus/pathology
4.
Arch Neurol ; 58(3): 373-9, 2001 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11255440

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic potential of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of tau and beta-amyloid protein ending at amino acid 42 (Abeta42) as biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD) in clinical practice. DESIGN: A 1-year prospective study. SETTING: Community population-based sample of all consecutive patients admitted for investigation of cognitive symptoms to the Piteå River Valley Hospital, Piteå, Sweden. PATIENTS: A total of 241 patients with probable AD (n = 105), possible AD (n = 58), vascular dementia (n = 23), mild cognitive impairment (n = 20), Lewy body dementia (n = 9), other neurological disorders (n = 3), and psychiatric disorders (n = 5) and nondemented individuals (n = 18). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cerebrospinal fluid tau and CSF-Abeta42 were assayed each week as routine clinical neurochemical analyses. Sensitivity and specificity were defined using the regression line from 100 control subjects from a multicenter study. Positive and negative predictive values were calculated for different prevalence rates of AD. RESULTS: We found increased CSF-tau and decreased CSF-Abeta42 levels in probable and possible AD. Sensitivity was 94% for probable AD, 88% for possible AD, and 75% for mild cognitive impairment, whereas specificity was 100% for psychiatric disorders and 89% for nondemented. Specificity was lower in Lewy body dementia (67%) mainly because of low CSF-Abeta42 levels and in vascular dementia (48%) mainly because of high CSF-tau levels. Sensitivity for CSF-tau and CSF-Abeta42 increased in patients with AD possessing the ApoE epsilon4 allele, approaching 100%. At a prevalence of AD of 45%, the positive predictive value was 90% and the negative predictive value was 95%. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrospinal fluid tau and CSF-Abeta42 have so far been studied in research settings, under conditions providing data on the optimal performance. We examined a prospective patient sample, with assays run in clinical routine, giving figures closer to the true performance of CSF-tau and CSF-Abeta42. The predictive value for AD was greater than 90%. Therefore, these biomarkers may have a role in the clinical workup of patients with cognitive impairment, especially to differentiate early AD from normal aging and psychiatric disorders.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognition Disorders/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Predictive Value of Tests , Prospective Studies , Regression Analysis , Sensitivity and Specificity
5.
Arch Neurol ; 48(10): 1032-5, 1991 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1929894

ABSTRACT

The concentrations of the four major brain gangliosides--GM1, GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b--were determined in cerebrospinal fluid from 43 patients with "probable Alzheimer's disease" and 19 healthy controls. Alzheimer's disease was divided into type I (with the memory disturbances and predominant cortical parietal symptoms that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease) and type II (with general cognitive and mild confusional symptoms, with or without only mild parietal symptoms). The GM, concentration was significantly higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease type I than in those with Alzheimer's disease type II and age-matched controls, but did not differ significantly between patients with Alzheimer's type II and age-matched controls. As gangliosides are enriched in nerve cell membranes, preferentially in synapses, the findings suggest more severe degeneration of cortical nerve cells in patients with Alzheimer's disease type I than in those with Alzheimer's disease type II.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Gangliosides/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged
6.
Arch Neurol ; 56(6): 673-80, 1999 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10369305

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To study the diagnostic potential of the 42 amino acid form of beta-amyloid (beta-amyloid(1-42)) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a biochemical marker for Alzheimer disease (AD), the intra-individual biological variation of CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) level in patients with AD, and the possible effects of differential binding between beta-amyloid and apolipoprotein E isoforms on CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) levels. DESIGN: A 20-month prospective follow-up study. SETTING: Community population-based sample of consecutive patients with AD referred to the Piteå River Valley Hospital, Piteå, Sweden. PATIENTS: Fifty-three patients with AD (mean +/- SD age, 71.4 +/- 7.4 years) diagnosed according to the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria and 21 healthy, age-matched (mean +/- SD age, 68.8 +/- 8.0 years) control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid(1-42) level--analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay--and severity of dementia--analyzed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD levels of CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) were decreased (P<.001) in patients with AD (709 +/- 304 pg/mL) compared with controls (1678 +/- 436 pg/mL). Most patients with AD (49 [92%] of 53 patients) had reduced levels (<1130 pg/mL). A highly significant correlation (r = 0.90; P<.001) between baseline and 1-year follow-up CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) levels was found. There were no significant correlations between CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) level and duration (r = -0.16) or severity (r = -0.02) of dementia. Low levels were also found in patients with mild dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination score, >25). CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) level as a diagnostic marker for AD is high. The intra-individual biological variation in CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) level is low. Low CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) levels are also found in the earlier stages of dementia in patients with AD. These findings suggest that CSF-beta-amyloid(1-42) analyses may be of value in the clinical diagnosis of AD, especially in the early course of the disease, when drug therapy may have the greatest potential of being effective but clinical diagnosis is particularly difficult.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Apolipoprotein E3 , Apolipoproteins E/genetics , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Dementia/cerebrospinal fluid , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Medical History Taking , Predictive Value of Tests , Prospective Studies , Protein Isoforms/genetics , Reference Values , Regression Analysis , Time Factors
7.
Mech Ageing Dev ; 122(16): 2005-11, 2001 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11589918

ABSTRACT

The reliability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-tau and CSF-beta-amyloid assays for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementing disorders such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is reviewed. CSF assessment of the two proteins is useful in early diagnosis of AD and to differentiate it from FTD and DLB. Extremely high CSF-tau levels can discriminate CJD from AD.


Subject(s)
Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Dementia/cerebrospinal fluid , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Dementia/diagnosis , Humans , Time Factors
8.
Neurology ; 54(10): 1960-4, 2000 May 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10822437

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: To investigate the CSF levels of tau and the light neurofilament protein (NFL) in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other common dementia disorders as well as normal control subjects. Both proteins have been implicated in the pathophysiology of FTD. METHODS: CSF levels of tau and NFL were investigated in 18 patients with FTD, 21 patients with early-onset AD (EAD), 21 patients with late-onset AD (LAD), and 18 age-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD CSF NFL levels were increased in patients with FTD (1442 +/- 1183 pg/mL; p < 0.05) and LAD (1006 +/- 727 pg/mL; p < 0.001) compared with control subjects (241 +/- 166 pg/mL) and in LAD compared with EAD (498 +/- 236 pg/mL; p < 0.05), and tended to be increased in FTD compared with EAD. CSF tau levels were increased in EAD (751 +/- 394 pg/mL; p < 0.01) and LAD (699 +/- 319 pg/mL; p < 0.01) compared with control subjects (375 +/- 170 pg/mL), and in EAD (p < 0.001) and LAD (p < 0. 01) compared with FTD (354 +/- 140 pg/mL). CSF NFL correlated positively with degree of cognitive impairment in FTD (r = 0.59; p < 0.05) and LAD (r = 0.61; p < 0.01). No significant differences were found in CSF NFL or CSF tau when comparing patients who did and did not possess the APOE-epsilon4 allele within each diagnostic group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a differential involvement of these cytoskeleton proteins in FTD and EAD, with NFL primarily involved in the pathophysiology of FTD and tau in that of EAD. The increase in CSF NFL found in LAD might reflect the white-matter degeneration found in a proportion of LAD cases.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Dementia/diagnosis , Neurofilament Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Dementia/cerebrospinal fluid , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests
9.
Neurology ; 54(11): 2077-81, 2000 Jun 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10851366

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the extent of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and TNFbeta gene polymorphism in patients with AD and to relate it to intrathecal levels of these cytokines. METHODS: Analyses of TNFalpha and TNFbeta gene polymorphism were performed using PCR in 52 patients with AD and in 25 control subjects, and the levels of corresponding cytokines were analyzed using ELISA. RESULTS: Patients with AD displayed significantly higher intrathecal levels of TNFalpha, but not TNFbeta, compared with the control subjects. The levels of these cytokines did not differ significantly in patients displaying different alleles of the TNF gene. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that increased intrathecal production of TNFalpha in AD is preferentially controlled by environmental stimuli rather than genetic makeup.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Lymphotoxin-alpha/cerebrospinal fluid , Lymphotoxin-alpha/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/cerebrospinal fluid , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alleles , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Chi-Square Distribution , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Statistics, Nonparametric , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid
10.
Neurology ; 53(7): 1488-94, 1999 Oct 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10534256

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CSF-tau in clinical practice as a diagnostic marker for AD compared with normal aging and depression, to study the stability of CSF-tau in longitudinal samples, and to determine whether CSF-tau levels are influenced by different covariates such as gender, age, duration or severity of disease, or possession of the APOE-epsilon4 allele. METHODS: Consecutive AD patients from a community-based sample were studied, including 407 patients with AD (274 with probable AD and 133 with possible AD), 28 patients with depression, and 65 healthy elderly control subjects. A follow-up lumbar puncture was performed in 192 AD patients after approximately 1 year. CSF-tau was determined using a sandwich ELISA, which was run as a routine clinical neurochemical analysis. RESULTS: CSF-tau was increased in probable (690+/-341 pg/mL; p < 0.0001) and possible (661+/-447 pg/mL; p < 0.0001) AD, but not in depression (231+/-110 pg/mL) compared with control subjects (227+/-101 pg/mL). Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed that a cutoff level of 302 pg/mL resulted in a sensitivity of 93% (95% CI, 90-96%) and a specificity of 86% (95% CI, 75-94%), with an area under the curve of 0.95 to discriminate AD from control subjects. Within the AD group, CSF-tau did not differ significantly between baseline and follow-up investigations, and was relatively stable between baseline and 1-year follow-up levels, with a coefficient of variation of 21.0%. High CSF-tau levels were also found in most AD patients with very short duration of dementia, and with Mini-Mental State Examination scores >23 (n = 205). In total, 193 of 205 patients (sensitivity, 94%) had a CSF-tau level higher than 302 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: CSF-tau has a high sensitivity and specificity to differentiate AD from normal aging and depression, as demonstrated in a large community-based series of consecutive AD patients during which analyses were run continually in a clinical neurochemical laboratory. The increase in CSF-tau is found very early in the disease process in AD, is stable over time, and has a low interindividual variation on repeated sampling. Although high CSF-tau is found in some neurologic conditions (e.g., stroke), these findings suggest that CSF-tau may be of use to help in differentiating AD from normal aging and depression, especially early in the course of the disease, when the symptoms are vague and the diagnosis is especially difficult.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alleles , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Apolipoprotein E4 , Apolipoproteins E/genetics , Depression/cerebrospinal fluid , Female , Gene Frequency , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Mental Status Schedule , Middle Aged , ROC Curve , Reference Values , Sensitivity and Specificity , Time Factors
11.
J Alzheimers Dis ; 2(3-4): 199-206, 2000 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12214084

ABSTRACT

Potential cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) include tau protein, the 42 amino-acid form of amyloid beta (amyloid beta(1-42)) and apolipoprotein E (apoE). To study new aspects of these protein markers, we examined consecutive CSF samples from 26 patients with acute ischemic stroke. CSF samples were taken on day 0-1, day 2-3, day 7-9, 3 weeks and 3-5 months after the stroke. CSF-tau showed a marked increase day 2-3, which peaked after 1 week and returned to normal after 3-5 months. CSF-tau also showed correlation (r=0.95; p<0.01) with the size of the infarct. In contrast, CSF-amyloid beta(1-42) and CSF-apoE showed no significant changes during the period. The marked increase in CSF-tau levels after acute ischemic stroke indicate that CSF-tau reflect the degree of neuronal damage. The reason for unchanged levels of CSF-amyloid beta(1-42) and CSF-apoE after ischemic stroke remains unclear.

12.
J Mol Neurosci ; 13(1-2): 101-9, 1999.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10691297

ABSTRACT

Schizophrenia is a common and severe psychiatric disorder of unknown etiology. Numerous neuropathological studies have found subtle structural changes in limbic structures, especially medial temporal lobe structures and the gyrus cinguli. To test the hypothesis that synaptic disturbances are involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, we studied the growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), a protein localized to presynaptic terminals, suggested to be involved in establishment and remodeling of synaptic connections, in postmortem brain tissue, using quantitative Western blotting immunohistochemistry. The material consisted of brain tissue from 17 schizophrenics (80 +/- 11 yr), diagnosed according to the DSM-III-R criteria, and 20 age-matched controls (75 +/- 13 yr). Quantitative analyses showed increased GAP-43 protein levels in schizophrenic compared to control brains, both in the hippocampus (2.43 +/- 0.78 vs 1.00 +/- 0.29; p < 0.0001) and in the gyrus cinguli (1.52 +/- 0.21 vs 1.00 +/- 0.35; p < 0.0001). Also by immunohistochemistry, increased GAP-43 staining was found in schizophrenic compared with control brains, throughout all layers of the gyrus cinguli and the hippocampus. Anomalous synaptic sprouting and reorganization, with resultant "miswiring," as well as a defect in synaptic pruning have been hypothesized to be pathogenetic factors in schizophrenia. We suggest that a decreased synaptic density, whether caused by disturbed development or damage/degeneration, may elicit a reactive synaptogenesis (reflected by an increase in GAP-43), which may be functional or anomalous. Synaptic pathology in the limbic system may be of importance in the development of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
GAP-43 Protein/metabolism , Gyrus Cinguli/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male
13.
Schizophr Res ; 40(1): 23-9, 1999 Nov 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10541003

ABSTRACT

Two synaptic-vesicle proteins, rab3a and synaptophysin, have been studied on post-mortem brain tissues of schizophrenics and healthy controls. We found significantly reduced levels of rab3a in thalamus (p<0.001); for both proteins in gyrus cinguli and hippocampus (p<0.0001); for rab3a in frontal and parietal cortex (p<0.05); and no differences in temporal cortex or cerebellum in schizophrenics compared with controls. Reduced synaptic density may be a prominent feature of the molecular neuropathology of schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Cerebellum/chemistry , Cerebral Cortex/chemistry , Gyrus Cinguli/chemistry , Hippocampus/chemistry , Schizophrenia , Synaptic Vesicles/chemistry , Synaptophysin/analysis , Thalamus/chemistry , rab3A GTP-Binding Protein/analysis , Adult , Aged , Biomarkers , Blotting, Western , Cerebellum/metabolism , Cerebral Cortex/metabolism , Exocytosis/physiology , Female , Gyrus Cinguli/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Synaptic Vesicles/metabolism , Synaptophysin/metabolism , Thalamus/metabolism , rab3A GTP-Binding Protein/metabolism
14.
Amyloid ; 7(4): 245-58, 2000 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11132093

ABSTRACT

The standardization and clinical validation of the measurement of beta-amyloid(1-42) (Abeta42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma and urine is described using a commercially available sandwich-type ELISA with 21F12 and 3D6 as monoclonal antibodies. The INNOTEST beta-amyloid(1-42) allows the specific and reliable measurement of(1-42) amyloid peptides in CSF and plasma. The Abeta42 concentrations in serum and urine were below the detection limit. In plasma, no differences were found in Abeta42 levels between controls and patients with different neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body disease (LBD), others). In contrast, CSF-Abeta42 concentrations were lower in AD and LBD patients as compared to controls. No correlation was found in AD patients between CSF and plasma concentrations of Abeta42 or between CSF Abeta42 levels and blood-brain-barrier function. The quantitative outcome of the test is in part dependent on confounding factors such as tube type, freeze/thaw cycles, temperature of incubation, standard preparation protocol, and antibody selection. Notwithstanding these aspects, it emerged that Abeta42 is a useful biochemical marker for the diagnosis of AD patients, but there is a need for an international Abeta standard, a universally accepted protocol for CSF preparation, and a thorough evaluation of assay performance in function of the boundary conditions.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/blood , Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Amyloid beta-Peptides/blood , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/standards , Humans , Reference Standards , Specimen Handling
15.
Amyloid ; 8(1): 1-10, 2001 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11293820

ABSTRACT

A variant of the normal extracellular cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin C (L68Q-cystatin C), is the amyloid precursor in hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy (HCCAA). It has been suggested that the mutation causes cellular entrapment of L68Q-cystatin C in vivo and that the variant protein is not secreted to extracellular fluids. In order to test this hypothesis, we used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in an effort to demonstrate the presence of L68Q- along with wildtype cystatin C in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HCCAA-patients. Plasma from all five investigated HCCAA-patients contained both L68Q- and wildtype cystatin C. The presence of approximately equal amounts of cystatin C dimers and monomers was demonstrated in plasma from HCCAA-patients, whereas only monomers could be found in normal plasma. L68Q-wildtype-cystatin C heterodimers seem to be present in the dimeric cystatin C population. CSF from six HCCAA-patients also contained cystatin C-dimers and monomers, but the dimeric fraction was minute. CSF from control patients did not contain dimeric cystatin C. These results suggest that the milieu of L68Q-cystatin C is important for its stability and dimerization status and that certain milieus might hinder its further development into oligomers, amyloid fibrils and other precipitating aggregates.


Subject(s)
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy/genetics , Cerebral Hemorrhage/genetics , Cystatins/genetics , Genetic Variation , Adult , Amino Acid Substitution , Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy/blood , Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy/cerebrospinal fluid , Cerebral Hemorrhage/blood , Cerebral Hemorrhage/cerebrospinal fluid , Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins/analysis , Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins/chemistry , Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins/genetics , Cystatin C , Cystatins/analysis , Cystatins/chemistry , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Extracellular Space/chemistry , Genetic Carrier Screening , Humans , Middle Aged , Reference Values , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
16.
Brain Res ; 412(2): 254-60, 1987 Jun 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-3038265

ABSTRACT

The immunoblotting technique was used to study the glycoproteins in human brain tumor samples including astrocytoma, glioblastoma, meningioma and oligodendroglioma, as well as in normal human brain. Glycoproteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose membrane and characterized, using binding with 11 different lectins. Tumor-associated glycoproteins were found using the lectins peanut agglutinin (PNA), soybean agglutinin, Limulus polyhemus, Lotus tetragonolobus, Ricinus communis 1, (RCA-1) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). Their molecular masses ranged from 50 to 180 kDa. Several of them were common to the 3 types of tumors: astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and meningiomas. PNA, RCA-1 and WGA were the 3 most feasible lectins with regard to tumor specificity, simplicity and reproducibility.


Subject(s)
Brain Neoplasms/metabolism , Glycoproteins/metabolism , Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism , Astrocytoma/metabolism , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Glioblastoma/metabolism , Humans , Lectins/metabolism , Meningioma/metabolism , Molecular Weight , Oligodendroglioma/metabolism , Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
17.
Neurosci Lett ; 273(1): 5-8, 1999 Sep 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10505638

ABSTRACT

We studied CSF-tau and CSF-Abeta42 in 16 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who at follow-up investigations 6-27 months later had progressed to Alzheimer's disease (AD) with dementia. For comparison, we studied 15 age-matched healthy individuals. At baseline, 14/16 (88%) of MCI patients had high CSF-tau and/or low CSF-Abeta42 levels. These findings show that these CSF-markers are abnormal before the onset of clinical dementia and that they may help to identify MCI patients that will develop AD. This is especially important when drugs with potential effects on the progression of AD will reach the clinical phase.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognition Disorders/cerebrospinal fluid , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Disease Progression , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Predictive Value of Tests , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
18.
Neurosci Lett ; 300(3): 157-60, 2001 Mar 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11226635

ABSTRACT

The clinical significance and the effects of pharmacological treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were evaluated by measurement of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF-AChE of AD patients was lower, not significantly, compared with controls. However, CSF-AChE was significantly increased after treatment of AD patients with AChE inhibitors (donepezil and galantamine). The increase was higher in patients treated with donezepil than in those treated with galantamine, which might be related to different mechanisms for the substances. The increase was also dose-dependent, and was especially marked in patients showing a clinical response. These data suggest that CSF biomarkers are capable not only of identifying a biochemical effect of drugs, but also of differentiating between different compounds in a dose-dependent manner.


Subject(s)
Acetylcholinesterase/cerebrospinal fluid , Acetylcholinesterase/drug effects , Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Galantamine/pharmacology , Indans/pharmacology , Piperidines/pharmacology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Analysis of Variance , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Donepezil , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Galantamine/therapeutic use , Humans , Indans/therapeutic use , Male , Middle Aged , Piperidines/therapeutic use
19.
Neurosci Lett ; 297(3): 187-90, 2001 Jan 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11137759

ABSTRACT

An increase in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-total-tau, and recently also in CSF-phospho-tau, has been found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms for these changes are not known. We examined longitudinal CSF samples from nine patients with acute stroke. As compared with baseline levels (day 0-1), CSF-total-tau showed an increase at day 2-3 (179%; P=0.018), day 7-9 (257%; P=0.003), and after 3 weeks (425%; P=0.002) and returned to normal levels after 3-5 months (140%; NS). In contrast, there was no significant change in CSF-phospho-tau. These findings suggest that total tau and phospho-tau in CSF reflect different pathogenic processes in the brain; total-tau the degree of neuronal damage and phospho-tau the phosphorylation state of tau and thus possibly the formation of neurofibrillary tangles.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Stroke/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Phosphorylation , Predictive Value of Tests , Stroke/diagnosis
20.
Neurosci Lett ; 285(1): 49-52, 2000 May 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10788705

ABSTRACT

Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is specifically found in those brain cells affected in several tauopathies. Tau has also been consistently found to be present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Here we report the quantification in CSF of tau phosphorylated at Thr 181 using an immunoassay with a synthetic peptide for standardization. The choice of the peptide was based on fine mapping of a phospho-dependent antibody, AT270 (P(176)PAPKT(p)P(132))and a human specific tau antibody, HT7 (P(159)PGQK(163)). CSF-phospho-tau levels were increased in Alzheimer patients (23.5+/-10.1 pM, P<0.01) compared with age-matched controls (15.9+/-5.7 pM), while decreased in patients with frontotemporal dementia (8.6+/-3.9 pM; P<0.01). In every diagnostic group, a highly significant correlation was found between total tau and phospho-tau (Alzheimer's disease, r(2)=0.73; frontotemporal dementia, r(2)=0.43; Control, r(2)=0.42), suggesting that the degree of phosphorylation of CSF-tau changes in different clinical conditions.


Subject(s)
Phosphopeptides/metabolism , Threonine/metabolism , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Amino Acid Sequence , Biomarkers , Brain Chemistry , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/standards , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Phosphopeptides/chemical synthesis , Phosphorylation , Reference Standards , tau Proteins/metabolism
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