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Biochemical changes in the cholinergic system of the ageing brain and in senile dementia1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

D. M. Bowen  and
A. N. Davison
D. M. Bowen
Affiliation:
Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Neurology, London
A. N. Davison*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Neurology, London
*
2Address for correspondence: Professor A. N. Davison, Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG.
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Synopsis

Loss of neurons from the ageing human brain is accompanied by reduction in biochemical markers. Compared with age-matched controls about one third of nerve cell components are lost from the temporal lobe of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. There is marked loss of choline acetyltransferase activity, especially in the hippocampus. This alteration parallels the intensity of neuropathological damage and relates to prior mental impairment. Smaller changes in other neurotransmitter synthesizing enzymes are generally found.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , May 1980 , pp. 315 - 319
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

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Footnotes

1

This paper was presented at the Sixth Bel Air Symposium, Evian, September 1979.

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