1. Down's syndrome individuals begin life with normal levels of brain cholinergic markers.
- Author
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Kish S, Karlinsky H, Becker L, Gilbert J, Rebbetoy M, Chang LJ, DiStefano L, and Hornykiewicz O
- Subjects
- Aging metabolism, Humans, Infant, Reference Values, Sudden Infant Death enzymology, Acetylcholinesterase metabolism, Brain enzymology, Choline O-Acetyltransferase metabolism, Down Syndrome enzymology
- Abstract
We measured the activities of the cholinergic marker enzymes choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in autopsied brains of seven infants (age range 3 months to 1 year) with Down's syndrome (DS), a disorder in which virtually all individuals will develop by middle age the neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease accompanied by a marked brain cholinergic reduction. When compared with age-matched controls cholinergic enzyme activity was normal in all brain regions of the individuals with infant DS with the exception of above-normal activity in the putamen (ChAT) and the occipital cortex (AChE). Our neurochemical observations suggest that DS individuals begin life with a normal complement of brain cholinergic neurons. This opens the possibility of early therapeutic intervention to prevent the development of brain cholinergic changes in patients with DS.
- Published
- 1989
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