TY - JOUR
T1 - Brain choline acetyltransferase and mental function in Alzheimer disease
AU - Baskin, David S.
AU - Browning, Jeffrey L.
AU - Pirozzolo, Francis J.
AU - Korporaal, Sonja
AU - Baskin, Juli A.
AU - Appel, Stanley H.
PY - 1999/9
Y1 - 1999/9
N2 - Objective: To determine whether higher brain levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) are associated with improved neuropsychological function in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Design: Case series with single-blind post hoc analysis of biopsy specimens. Setting: Urban hospital and medical school. Patients: A consecutive sample of 8 patients with AD undergoing brain biopsy and surgical implantation of intraventricular pumps for administration of potential chemotherapeutic agents. Interventions: Brain biopsy, surgical implantation of intraventricular pumps, and, in 1 patient, ventriculo-peritoneal shunt placement. Main Outcome Measures: All patients underwent neuropsychological testing no more than 2 weeks before surgical biopsy. Levels of ChAT were determined in fresh brain tissue from biopsy samples. Results: Significant positive correlations were found between ChAT levels and 2 neuropsychological test scores, Mini-Mental State Examination and the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale. Conclusion: Degeneration of the cholinergic system in vivo correlates with decreasing cognitive function in patients with AD.
AB - Objective: To determine whether higher brain levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) are associated with improved neuropsychological function in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Design: Case series with single-blind post hoc analysis of biopsy specimens. Setting: Urban hospital and medical school. Patients: A consecutive sample of 8 patients with AD undergoing brain biopsy and surgical implantation of intraventricular pumps for administration of potential chemotherapeutic agents. Interventions: Brain biopsy, surgical implantation of intraventricular pumps, and, in 1 patient, ventriculo-peritoneal shunt placement. Main Outcome Measures: All patients underwent neuropsychological testing no more than 2 weeks before surgical biopsy. Levels of ChAT were determined in fresh brain tissue from biopsy samples. Results: Significant positive correlations were found between ChAT levels and 2 neuropsychological test scores, Mini-Mental State Examination and the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale. Conclusion: Degeneration of the cholinergic system in vivo correlates with decreasing cognitive function in patients with AD.
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U2 - 10.1001/archneur.56.9.1121
DO - 10.1001/archneur.56.9.1121
M3 - Article
C2 - 10488813
AN - SCOPUS:0032887166
SN - 0003-9942
VL - 56
SP - 1121
EP - 1123
JO - Archives of neurology
JF - Archives of neurology
IS - 9
ER -