Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 1992 Dec;12(6):581-7.
doi: 10.1007/BF00711237.

Monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites in brain regions in Alzheimer's disease: a postmortem study

A J Nazarali  1 , G P Reynolds
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites in brain regions in Alzheimer's disease: a postmortem study

A J Nazarali et al. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 1992 Dec.

Abstract

1. Concentrations of the neurotransmitter amines noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and the acid metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in four regions of postmortem brains of demented patients with or without Alzheimer's disease (AD). 2. NA was deficient in the temporal cortex (BA 21) of AD, but not of non-AD, patients. 3. Caudate, in particular, had an impaired dopaminergic system in AD patients, with low HVA levels. 4. In all regions investigated [amygdala, caudate, putamen, temporal cortex (BA 21)] 5-HT was significantly depleted in AD patients, and 5-HIAA was also depleted in amygdala and caudate. 5. These results indicate that neurotransmitter systems other than cholinergic systems are also widely affected in AD and suggest that these deficits may also play an important role in determining the symptomatology of AD.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adolfsson, R., Gottfries, C. G., Roos, B. E., and Winblad, B. (1979). Changes in the brain catecholamines in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type.Br. J. Psychiat.135216–223. - PubMed
    1. Arai, H., Kosaka, K., and Iizuka, R. (1984). Changes of biogenic amines and their metabolites in postmortem brains from patients with Alzheimer-type dementia.J. Neurochem.43388–393. - PubMed
    1. Baker, G. B., and Reynolds, G. P. (1989). Biogenic amines and their metabolites in Alzheimer's disease: Noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid depleted in hippocampus but not in substantia innominata.Neurosci. Lett.100335–339. - PubMed
    1. Bondareff, W., Mountjoy, C. Q., and Roth, M. (1981). Selective loss of neurons of origin of adrenergic projection to cerebral cortex (nucleus locus coeruleus) in senile dementia.Lancet,1783–784. - PubMed
    1. Bowen, D. M., Allen, S. J., Benton, J. S., Goodhardt, M. J., Haan, E. A., Palmer, A. M., Sims, N. R., Smith, C. C. T., Spillane, J. A., Esiri, M. M., Neary, D., Snowdon, J. S., Wilcock, G. K., and Davison, A. N. (1983). Biochemical assessment of serotonergic and cholinergic dysfunction and cerebral atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.J. Neurochem.41266–272. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources