NEUROPEPTIDES AND ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Numerous neuropeptides have been isolated from the human brain and pos tulated as neurotransmitter candidates. Their biochemical characterist ics and anatomical distribution have been elucidated in some detail, b ut their possible physiological and pathophysiological roles, as well as their utility as diagnostic markers in brain disorders, have been m ore difficult to establish. The concentrations of several neuropeptide s have been measured in postmortem human brain studies and in cerebros pinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Here we critic ally review these findings with focus on: (1) the relation between bra in tissue and CSF neuropeptide alterations; (2) the specificity of neu ropeptide alterations in Alzheimer's disease in relation to other dege nerative brain diseases; (3) possible functional implications.