T-cell interferon gamma binding in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type
P. Bongioanni, B. Boccardi, M. Borgna, M. Castagna and C. Mondino
Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento, Pisa, Italy.
OBJECTIVE: To study T-cell-dependent immune function in patients with
dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). DESIGN: Assay interferon gamma
binding on T lymphocytes in patients with DAT, as compared with healthy
controls. SETTING: The study was performed on ambulatory patients in a
tertiary care center, where patients were diagnosed as having DAT according
to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke criteria.
PATIENTS: Thirty-five nondepressed patients with DAT (15 women and 20 men;
mean [+/-SD] age, 68.6 +/- 15.8 years) were selected consecutively. They
were drug free for at least 3 weeks and did not smoke. Illness severity was
evaluated according to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. The control
group comprised 35 age- and sex-matched, healthy nonsmoking subjects, with
no family history of neuropsychiatric disorders. RESULTS: A significant
reduction (P < .001) of T-lymphocyte interferon gamma binding was
observed in patients with DAT as compared with healthy controls (611 +/- 19
[SE] vs 702 +/- 11 [SE] receptors per cell, respectively), whereas the
dissociation constant (ligand-receptor affinity) values were similar in the
2 groups (1.1 +/- 0.06 [SE] and 1.2 +/- 0.06 [SE] nmol/L). CONCLUSION:
These data demonstrate a derangement of the immune response in patients
with DAT, since cell surface interferon gamma receptors seem to be related
with T-lymphocyte immune function.
