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. 2020 Oct 19;12(1):e12112.
doi: 10.1002/dad2.12112. eCollection 2020.

Copper and zinc isotopic excursions in the human brain affected by Alzheimer's disease

Frédéric Moynier  1 , Marie Le Borgne  2 , Esther Lahoud  1 , Brandon Mahan  3 , Francois Mouton-Liger  4 , Jacques Hugon  4 , Claire Paquet  4
Affiliations

Copper and zinc isotopic excursions in the human brain affected by Alzheimer's disease

Frédéric Moynier et al. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). .

Erratum in

  • Erratum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2021 May 2;13(1):e12175. doi: 10.1002/dad2.12175. eCollection 2021. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2021. PMID: 33969171 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuropathologically marked by amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Little is known about isotopic compositions of human AD brains. Here we study this in comparison with control subjects for copper and zinc.

Methods: We use mass-spectrometry methods, developed to study extraterrestrial materials, to compare the copper and zinc isotopic composition of 10 AD and 10 control brains.

Results: Copper and zinc natural isotopic compositions of AD brains are statistically different compared to controls, and correlate with Braak stages.

Discussion: The distribution of natural copper and zinc isotopes in AD is not affected by the diet, but is a consequence of Aβ plaques and tau fibril accumulation. This is well predicted by the changes of the chemical bonding environment caused by the development of Aβ lesions and accumulation of tau proteins. Future work will involve testing whether these changes affect brain functions and are propagated to body fluids.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; amyloid beta; copper; isotopes.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are not conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on copper (A) and zinc (B) isotopic composition of the brains. Unpaired t tests show a significant effect of AD for copper isotopes (P = .0002) and to a lesser extent on zinc (P = .025). AD brains are more enriched in the lighter isotopes of copper than controls
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Isotopic composition of copper and zinc as a function of the Braak stage. Both δ65Cu and δ66 Zn vary systematically with the Braak stage, with P values of 0.0028 and 0.0142, respectively
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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