Summary
The integrity of cholinergic and monoaminergic neuronal systems in Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD) was studied using a combination of morphological and biochemical procedures applied to samples from seven ATD brains and ten control brains. On morphological examination, the number of neurons was counted in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM), the locus coeruleus (LC) and the nucleus centralis superior (NCS). Biochemically, the activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and the concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) were measured in the nbM, LC, NCS, frontal cortex, temporal cortex and occipital cortex. Compared with the controls, the mean number of neurons in the nbM and LC were significantly reduced in the ATD brains. The neuronal loss in the NCS in the ATD brains was not significant. The ChAT activities in all regions from the ATD brains had a tendency to be reduced. Marked reductions in the NA concentrations in the LC and 5-HT concentrations in the temporal and occipital cortices were found in the ATD brains. These findings suggest that various neurotransmitter systems, including cholinergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, are affected in the ATD brains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arai H (1985) A short review of neurotransmitter research in postmortem brains from Alzheimer-type dementia patients. Shinkei Kenkyu No Shinpo 29:624–632
Arai H, Kosaka K, Iizuka R (1984a) Changes of biogenic amines and their metabolites in postmortem brains from patients with Alzheimer-type dementia. J Neurochem 43:388–393
Arai H, Kosaka K, Muramoto O, Iizuka R (1984b) A biochemical study of cholinergic neurons in the postmortem brains from the patients with Alzheimer-type dementia. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 24:1128–1135
Arendt T, Bigl V, Arendt A, Tennstedt A (1983) Loss of neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in Alzheimer's disease, paralysis agitans and Korsakoff's disease. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 61:101–108
Bondareff W, Mountjoy CQ, Roth M (1982) Loss of neurons of origin of the adrenergic projection to cerebral cortex (nucleus locus coeruleus) in senile dementia. Neurology 32:164–168
Bowen DM, Smith CB, White P, Davison AN (1976) Neurotransmitter-related enzymes and indices of hypoxia in senile dementia and other abiotrophies. Brain 99:459–496
Curcio CA, Kemper T (1984) Nucleus raphe dorsalis in dementia of the Alzheimer type: neurofibrillary changes and neuronal packing density. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 43:359–368
Davies P (1979) Neurotransmitter-rolated enzymes in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. Brain Res 171:319–327
Davies P, Maloney AF (1976) Selective loss of central cholinergic neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet 1:1403
Iversen LL, Rossor MN, Reynords GP, Hills R, Roth M, Mountjoy CQ, Foote SL, Morrison JH, Bloom FE (1983) Loss of pigmented dopamine-beta-hydroxylase-positive cells from locus coeruleus in senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. Neurosci Lett 39:95–100
Mann DMA, Yates PO, Marcyniuk B (1984) A comparison of changes in the nucleus basalis and locus coeruleus in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 47:201–203
Olszewski J, Baxter D (1982) Cytoarchitecture of the human brain stem, 2nd edn. Karger, Basel München Paris London New York Sydney
Perry EK, Perry RH, Blessed G, Tomlinson BE (1977) Necropsy evidence of central cholinergic neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet I:189
Perry EK, Tomlinson BE, Blessed G, Perry RH, Cross AJ, Crow TJ (1981) Neuropathological and biochemical observations on the noradrenergic system in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Sci 51:279–287
Tagliavini F, Pilleri G (1983) Neuronal counts in basal nucleus of Meynert in Alzheimer disease and in simple senile dementia. Lancet I:469–470
Tomlinson BE, Irving D, Blessed G (1981) Cell loss in the locus coeruleus in senile dementia of Alzheimer type. J Neurol Sci 49:419–428
Whitehouse PJ, Price DL, Struble RG, Clark AW, Coyle JT, DeLong MR (1982) Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia: loss of neurons in the basal forebrain. Science 215:1237–1239
Yamamoto T, Hirano A (1985) Nucleus raphe dorsalis in Alzheimer's disease: neurofibrillary tangles and loss of large neurons. Ann Neurol 17:573–577
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ichimiya, Y., Arai, H., Kosaka, K. et al. Morphological and biochemical changes in the cholinergic and monoaminergic systems in Alzheimer-type dementia. Acta Neuropathol 70, 112–116 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691428
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691428