Abstract
Multiple research groups have documented reductions in cortical somatostatin‐like immunoreactivity (SRIF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated the relationship between cerebral cortical SRIF levels and concurrent measures of specific neuropsychological functions in early‐to‐middle‐stage AD patients. Biopsy samples obtained from nondominant frontal cortex of 5 patients with histopathologically confirmed AD were assayed for SRIF. Concurrent measures of intelligence, memory, language, visuoperception, visuoconstruction, attention, concentration, reaction time, and overall dementia severity were obtained. Close associations were observed between SRIF and dementia severity, four‐choice visual reaction time, and visuoperceptual and visuoconstructional abilities. No relationship was observed between SRIF and the remaining neuropsychological measures. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that the functional deficits in AD are caused, in large part, by a loss of cortico‐cortical projection neurons and a subsequent dissociation of specific cortical functional areas from one another.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 159-168 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Developmental Neuropsychology |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1989 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology