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Elliott J. Mufson, PhD; Milos D. Ikonomovic, MD; Scot D. Styren, PhD; Scott E. Counts, PhD; Joanne Wuu, MA; Sue Leurgans, PhD; David A. Bennett, MD; Elizabeth. J. Cochran, MD; Steven T. DeKosky, MD

Arch Neurol. 2003;60:1143-1148.

Background  The status of nerve growth factor (NGF) levels during the prodromal phase of Alzheimer disease (AD), characterized by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), remains unknown.

Objective  To investigate whether cortical and/or hippocampal NGF levels are altered in subjects with MCI or different levels of AD severity.

Design and Main Outcome Measures  An NGF enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay determined protein levels in the hippocampus and 5 cortical areas in people clinically diagnosed as having no cognitive impairment, MCI, mild AD, or severe AD.

Setting and Patients  Subjects were from the Rush Religious Orders Study and the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Pittsburgh, Pa).

Results  We found no changes in cortical or hippocampal NGF levels across groups; in MCI, levels did not correlate with an increase in choline acetyltransferase activity in these regions.

Conclusion  Brain NGF levels appear sufficient to support the cholinergic plasticity changes seen in MCI and remain stable throughout the disease course.

From the Department of Neurological Sciences and Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush Presbyterian–St Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Ill (Drs Mufson, Counts, Leurgans, Bennett, and Cochran and Ms Wuu); Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa (Drs Ikonomovic and DeKosky); and Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Bridgewater, NJ (Dr Styren).

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