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.

Decreased cerebrospinal fluid amyloid beta (1-40) levels in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Pijnenburg YA, Schoonenboom SN, Mehta PD, Mehta SP, Mulder C, Veerhuis R, Blankenstein MA, Scheltens P

Alzheimer Centre and Department of Neurology, VU University Medical Centre, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. y.pijnenburg@vumc.nl

The role of amyloid metabolism in the pathophysiology of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) has yet to be elucidated. We compared CSF levels of amyloid beta 1-40 (Abeta40) and amyloid beta 1-42 (Abeta42) in patients with FTLD (n = 21) versus patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 39) and in control subjects (n = 30). While in AD cases Abeta42 levels were lower and CSF Abeta40 levels equal to those in controls, a significant decrease in Abeta40 and increase in the CSF Abeta42/Abeta40 ratio was observed in FTLD compared with AD and control subjects. These findings favour a differential involvement of amyloid beta peptides in FTLD compared with AD.

Published 18 June 2007 in J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 78(7): 735-7.
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