Antibodies against gangliosides in patients with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that gangliosides act as important mediators in both de- and remyelination. The scope of the present research was to investigate the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies against GM1, GD1b, and GQ1b gangliosides in the sera of patients with dementia and the possible connection with clinical parameters of the disease. METHOD: This research topic demonstrates the investigation of 103 patients with dementia and 60 healthy individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of 3 antiganglioside antibodies in their sera. RESULTS: The authors report a positive connection between IgM anti-GM1 and the age (P = .005) and the severity of dementia (P = .005). Most of the patients who revealed increased IgM anti-GD1b levels had Alzheimer's disease (AD; P = .002). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that elevated IgM anti-GM1 may be connected with the neurodegeneration in older patients with severe dementia and that AD may also be associated with increased IgM anti-GD1b levels.