Alzheimer Disease: Daniel SE

Osaki Y, Ben-Shlomo Y, Lees AJ, Daniel SE, Colosimo C, Wenning G, Quinn N. · National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom. · Mov Disord. · Pubmed #14978673 No free full text.

Abstract: We assessed the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP, Steele-Richardson-Olszewski disease) and the validity of existing sets of clinical diagnostic criteria for PSP (see Appendix) using neuropathologically examined cases from the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders. Diagnosis of PSP was made by 40 different physicians, and 60 cases clinically diagnosed as PSP when last assessed in life were studied. In 47 cases (78%), the diagnosis of PSP was confirmed pathologically. False-positive diagnoses included Parkinson's disease with significant additional cortical Lewy body (n = 3) or Alzheimer (n = 1) pathology, multiple system atrophy (n = 4), and corticobasal degeneration, Pick's disease, motor neurone disease, cerebrovascular disease, and a sporadic case of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (1 case each). Most cases of PSP were diagnosed accurately by neurologists at the final assessment. Although application of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and the Society for PSP possible category marginally improved the accuracy of initial clinical diagnosis, none of the existing operational criteria could significantly improve accuracy of the final clinical diagnosis.

Pickering-Brown SM, Owen F, Isaacs A, Snowden J, Varma A, Neary D, Furlong R, Daniel SE, Cairns NJ, Mann DM. · Division of Neuroscience, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Great Britain. · Exp Neurol. · Pubmed #10833320 No free full text.

Abstract: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of presenile dementia. Here we have investigated the frequency of the epsilon4 allele of the Apolipoprotein (APOE) gene in FTD and in other non-Alzheimer forms of dementia related to FTD such as Motor Neurone disease dementia, semantic dementia, progressive aphasia, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. In none of these diagnostic groups did we find a significant increase in the APOE epsilon4 allelic frequency, compared to population values. Neither did we observe any affects of the epsilon4 allele upon age at onset or duration of disease. We conclude therefore that polymorphic variations in the APOE gene do not modulate either the occurrence or progression of these non-Alzheimer forms of dementia.

Corrigan FM, Wienburg CL, Shore RF, Daniel SE, Mann D. · Lomond & Argyll Primary Care Trust, Argyll and Bute Hospital, Lochgilphead, United Kingdom. · J Toxicol Environ Health A. · Pubmed #10706031 No free full text.

Abstract: The concentrations of organochlorine (OC) compounds in the substantia nigra (SN) were compared in Parkinson's disease (PD) with concentrations in brain from cortical Lewy body dementia (CLBD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and nondemented nonparkinsonian controls (CON). The levels of the gamma isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane (gammaHCH, lindane) were significantly higher in PD tissues (mean +/- SD: 0.56 +/- 0.434 microg/g lipid) than in the other three groups (CLBD 0.052 +/- 0.101 microg/g lipid; AD none detected; CON 0.125 +/- 0.195; all differences from PD significant at p < .05, Mann-Whitney U-test). Dieldrin (HEOD) was higher in PD brain than in AD or control brain, while 1,1'-(2,2-dichloroethenyl diene)-bis(4-chlorobenzene) (p,p-DDE) and total Aroclor-matched polychlorinated biphenyls (matched PCBs) were only higher in PD substantia nigra when these concentrations were compared with those of CLBD. These findings are not inconsistent with the hypothesis derived from epidemiological work and animal studies that organochlorine insecticides produce a direct toxic action on the dopaminergic tracts of the substantia nigra and may contribute to the development of PD in those rendered susceptible by virtue of cytochrome P-450 polymorphism, excessive exposure, or other factors.