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Alzheimer's Disease and Down's Syndrome: New Insights
- NEAL R. CUTLER, M.D.;
- LEONARD L. HESTON, M.D.;
- PETER DAVIES, Ph.D.;
- JAMES V. HAXBY, Ph.D.; and
- MARK B. SCHAPIRO, M.D.
Abstract
Neuropathologic and neurochemical studies of older adults with Down's syndrome and those with Alzheimer's disease reveal striking similarities. Genetic studies indicate that near relatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and the risk appears to be age specific. These families with familial Alzheimer's disease have also been found to have a high incidence of Down's syndrome. Neurochemical data suggest that a cholinergic deficiency must be present for dementia to develop, and serial assessments of brain metabolic function with positron emission tomography in Alzheimer's disease have shown that the parietal lobe has reductions in metabolic function before the onset of neuropsychologic deficits in this brain region. Neuropsychologic testing indicates that patients with Down's syndrome over 35 years old have poorer cognitive skills than do younger patients. Brain metabolic function is excessively reduced in the demented adults with Down's syndrome.
Article and Author Information
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▸An edited summary of a Combined Clinical Staff Conference held 12 February 1985 at the Amphitheatre, Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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▸Authors who wish to cite a section of the conference and specifically indicate its author can use this example for the form of reference.
HESTON LL. Genetic relationships in early-onset Alzheimer's dementia, pp 566-8. In CUTLER NR, moderator. Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome: new insights. Ann Intern Med. 1985;103:566-78.
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▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to Neal R. Cutler, M.D.; c/o Wendy Schubert, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 1C255; Bethesda, MD 20892.
