Cerebrospinal fluid somatostatin and neuropeptide Y. Concentrations in aging and in dementia of the Alzheimer type with and without extrapyramidal signs
J. R. Atack, M. F. Beal, C. May, J. A. Kaye, M. F. Mazurek, A. D. Kay and S. I. Rapoport
Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Cerebrospinal fluid somatostatin and neuropeptide Y concentrations were
measured in 26 healthy normal subjects, 27 patients with dementia of the
Alzheimer type (DAT), and seven patients with DAT with extrapyramidal signs
(EDAT). In healthy normal subjects, there was no significant correlation
between age and either somatostatin or neuropeptide Y concentration.
However, the concentrations of both peptides correlated significantly with
each other. In patients with DAT and EDAT, the concentrations of
somatostatin (17.5 +/- 5.0 and 16.4 +/- 5.0 pg/mL, respectively) were
significantly reduced relative to age-matched control subjects (23.1 +/-
8.2 pg/mL) but were unrelated to dementia severity and did not change
significantly during the progression of the disease. Neuropeptide Y
concentrations did not differ significantly between the age-matched
control, DAT, and EDAT groups (38.2 +/- 12.8, 37.0 +/- 12.3, and 30.3 +/-
7.8 pg/mL, respectively). These results suggest that in DAT, dysfunction of
cortical somatostatin but not neuropeptide Y transmitter systems is
reflected by reduced cerebrospinal fluid concentrations.
