Alzheimer's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alzheimer's Disease, including details on diagnosis, memory loss, heredity, treatment, medication.

Imaging of acetylcholine esterase activity in brainstem nuclei involved in regulation of sleep and wakefulness.

Eggers C, Szelies B, Bauer B, Wienhard K, Schröder H, Herholz K, Heiss WD

Department of Neurology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Positron emission tomography with 11C-N-methyl-4-piperidyl-acetate (MP4A) was applied in eight healthy volunteers and two patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) to assess acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity in magnetic resonance imaging-identified brainstem nuclei. Uptake ratios in lateral dorsal tegmental and pedunculopontine nuclei relative to cerebellum yielded reproducible values for the AChE activity in controls and reduced values in AD, more marked in a patient with complaints of disturbed sleep. Cortical AChE activity was related to the extent of cognitive impairment which was more severe in the AD patient without sleep disturbance. This preliminary observational study demonstrates the feasibility to image and assess AChE activity in small nuclei of the brain stem. This approach may be helpful to investigate the interaction of various nuclei in the complex network regulating sleep and wakefulness in representative patient groups with documented sleep disturbance.

Published 1 June 2007 in Eur J Neurol, 14(6): 690-3.
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