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Concentration of monoamines and their metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid from patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type and vascular dementia of the Binswanger type

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Journal of Neural Transmission - Parkinson's Disease and Dementia Section

Summary

We measured the concentrations of total (conjugated and unconjugated) monoamines (dopamine, DA; norepinephrine, NE) and monoamine metabolites (homovanillic acid, HVA; 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyleneglycol, MHPG; 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), using HPLC-ECD in 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), 17 patients with vascular dementia of the Binswanger type (VDBT), and 15 controls. In AD/SDAT, there was a significant decrease in the DA concentration and a significant increase in the MHPG concentration. The average NE concentration was not altered, but significantly increased with the progression of intellectual disability. There were no significant changes in HVA and 5-HIAA concentrations. Patients with VDBT showed a significant increase in the DA concentration and a significant decrease in HVA and 5-HIAA concentrations. The DA concentrations increased significantly with the progression of dementia and ventricular enlargement. These results indicate that the noradrenergic and dopaminergic system in particular are altered in AD/SDAT, while the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems are mainly involved in VDBT.

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Author notes

  1. H. Tohgi

    Present address: Department of Neurology, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, 020, Morioka, Iwate, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, 020, Morioka, Iwate, Japan

    M. Ueno, T. Abe, S. Takahashi & Y. Nozaki

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  1. H. Tohgi
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  2. M. Ueno
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  4. S. Takahashi
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  5. Y. Nozaki
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Tohgi, H., Ueno, M., Abe, T. et al. Concentration of monoamines and their metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid from patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type and vascular dementia of the Binswanger type. J Neural Transm Gen Sect 4, 69–77 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257623

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257623

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