Alzheimer Disease: Strauss M

Lerner AJ, Strauss M, Sami SA. · Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. · Geriatrics. · Pubmed #17999565 No free full text.

Abstract: Apathy has been increasingly recognized as a neuropsychiatric symptom in many neurologic disorders. In this paper, we review the clinical features of apathy in Alzheimer's disease. We also review screening, the differential diagnosis including depression, medical illnesses, and mild cognitive impairment, and treating modalities and issues. It must also be recognized that apathy per se almost never occurs as an isolated syndrome, so it must be viewed in the context of an individual's entire behavioral and cognitive status.

Multhaup G, Scheuermann S, Schlicksupp A, Simons A, Strauss M, Kemmling A, Oehler C, Cappai R, Pipkorn R, Bayer TA. · ZMBH--Center for Molecular Biology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. · Free Radic Biol Med. · Pubmed #12086681 No free full text.

Abstract: Oxidative stress was presented to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially in the early evolution of AD amyloidogenesis and not only as a consequence thereof. The effect of oxidative stress catalysed by transition metals appears to have a critical relevance in AD. Metal-ion homeostasis is severely dysregulated in AD and it was found that experimentally induced disturbances in the homeostasis of Zn(II) and Cu(II) affect the amyloid precursor protein (APP) metabolism. APP itself binds Zn(II) and Cu(II) at nanomolar concentrations and an altered APP metabolism or expression level is believed to result in neurotoxic processes.

Treiber C, Simons A, Strauss M, Hafner M, Cappai R, Bayer TA, Multhaup G. · Freie Universitaet Berlin, Institut fuer Chemie/Biochemie, Thielallee 63, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. · J Biol Chem. · Pubmed #15465814 links to  free full text

Abstract: The key protein in Alzheimer's disease, the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is a ubiquitously expressed copper-binding glycoprotein that gives rise to the Abeta amyloid peptide. Whereas overexpression of APP results in significantly reduced brain copper levels in three different lines of transgenic mice, knock-out animals revealed increased copper levels. A provoked rise in peripheral levels of copper reduced concentrations of soluble amyloid peptides and resulted in fewer pathogenic Abeta plaques. Contradictory evidence has been provided by the efficacy of copper chelation treatment with the drug clioquinol. Using a yeast model system, we show that adding clioquinol to the yeast culture medium drastically increased the intracellular copper concentration but there was no significant effect observed on zinc levels. This finding suggests that clioquinol can act therapeutically by changing the distribution of copper or facilitating copper uptake rather than by decreasing copper levels. The overexpression of the human APP or APLP2 extracellular domains but not the extracellular domain of APLP1 decreased intracellular copper levels. The expression of a mutant APP deficient for copper binding increased intracellular copper levels several-fold. These data uncover a novel biological function for APP and APLP2 in copper efflux and provide a new conceptual framework for the formerly diverging theories of copper supplementation and chelation in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.