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A Reexamination of Aluminum in Alzheimer's Disease: Analysis by Energy Dispersive X-ray Microprobe and Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Roland W. Jacobs ,
Taihung Duong ,
Robert E. Jones ,
George A. Trapp  and
Arnold B. Scheibel
Roland W. Jacobs*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, UCLA Brain Research Institute, UCLA Valley Hospital Medical Center, Van Nuys, CA
Taihung Duong
Affiliation:
Departments of Anatomy, UCLA
Robert E. Jones
Affiliation:
Departments of Earth and Space Sciences, UCLA
George A. Trapp
Affiliation:
VA Medical Center and Dept. of Psychiatry, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Med. School, Dallas
Arnold B. Scheibel
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, UCLA Departments of Anatomy, UCLA Brain Research Institute, UCLA
*
c/o Arnold B. Scheibel, M.D., Department of Anatomy, UCLA Center for Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. 90024
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Abstract:

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We have attempted to verify the presence of increased aluminum (Al) levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Tissue from seven AD brains, mounted on carbon polymerized coverslips, were stained with Congored or treated immunohistochemically to allow optical localization of AD-associated lesions during EDX. Despite a demonstrated sensitivity of 20-25 ppm, we were unable to detect Al in either plaque cores or neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles. For AAS, wet weight samples (ranging from 48-144 mg) from six of the seven AD brains and four controls were selected from regions similar to those studied under EDX, i.e., Brodmann areas 9, 11, 28, 46, 47, and the hippocampus. The tissue surrounding each sample site was sectioned and stained for thioflavin S. Both controls and AD samples revealed similar levels of Al ranging from undetectable to 1.80 ng/mg wet wt. (mean AD: 0.28 ± 0.39 (SD), control: 0.54 ± 0.58 (SD)), independent of degree of histopathology or age of the case. We conclude that the combined strengths of these two techniques on similar tissue specimens demonstrate that abnormal Al levels are not required to produce the histologic findings of AD and that this element may not accumulate in the aging brain. It is unlikely, therefore, that Al is essential in the etiology of pathogenesis of plaques and tangles in AD. Al's role as a primary or secondarily associated event, when present, needs further delineation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 16 , Issue S4 , November 1989 , pp. 498 - 503
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1989

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