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
. 2007 Jul;64(7):1007-13.
doi: 10.1001/archneur.64.7.1007.

Elevated plasma beta-amyloid peptide Abeta(42) levels, incident dementia, and mortality in Down syndrome

Nicole Schupf  1 , Bindu Patel, Deborah Pang, Warren B Zigman, Wayne Silverman, Pankaj D Mehta, Richard Mayeux
Affiliations

Elevated plasma beta-amyloid peptide Abeta(42) levels, incident dementia, and mortality in Down syndrome

Nicole Schupf et al. Arch Neurol. 2007 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Deposition of the beta-amyloid peptide Abeta(42) is thought to be an important initial step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). Individuals with Down syndrome have increased levels of beta-amyloid peptides and an increased risk for AD.

Objective: To examine the relation of plasma levels of Abeta(42) and Abeta(40) to the risk of dementia in nondemented participants and all-cause mortality in adults with Down syndrome.

Design: Prospective, community-based longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: State and voluntary service providers in New York State.

Participants: Adults with Down syndrome (N = 204).

Main outcome measure: Plasma Abeta(42) and Abeta(40) levels were measured at initial examination. Participants were assessed for cognitive and functional abilities, behavioral/psychiatric conditions, and health and vital status at 14- to 18-month intervals for 4 cycles of data collection.

Results: Among participants who were nondemented at baseline, those in the middle and highest tertiles of plasma Abeta(42) levels were more than 2 times as likely to develop AD as those in the lowest tertile. Compared with participants without AD, participants with prevalent AD had higher levels of plasma Abeta(42) but not Abeta(40). Among all participants, those in the highest tertile of plasma Abeta(42) level at baseline were more than twice as likely to die during the study period as those in the lowest tertile, whereas there was no difference in risk of death between those in the middle and lowest tertiles of plasma Abeta(42) level.

Conclusion: Elevations in plasma Abeta(42) peptide levels are associated with earlier onset of AD and increased risk of death.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cumulative Incidence of Alzheimer’s disease by tertiles of Aβ42 peptides formula image Lowest tertile: formula image Middle tertile: formula image Highest tertile
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cumulative Mortality by tertiles of Aβ42 peptide formula image Lowest tertile: formula image Middle tertile: formula image Highest tertile
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Selkoe DJ. Normal and abnormal biology of the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1994;17:489–517. - PubMed
    1. Naslund J, Haroutonian V, Mohs R, et al. Correlation between elevated levels of amyloid B-peptide in the brain and cognitive decline. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2000;283:1571–1577. - PubMed
    1. Blennow K, Hampel H. CSF markers for incipient Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurol. 2003;2:605–613. - PubMed
    1. Assini A, Cammarata S, Vitali A, et al. Plasma levels of amyloid beta-protein 42 are increased in women with mild cognitive impairment. Neurology. 2004;63:828–831. - PubMed
    1. Mayeux R, Honig LS, Tang MX, et al. Plasma A[beta]40 and A[beta]42 and Alzheimer's disease: relation to age, mortality, and risk. Neurology. 2003;61:1185–1190. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms