INCREASED ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY IN THE CSF OF ALZHEIMER PATIENTS CARRYING APOLIPOPROTEIN EPSILON-4 ALLELE

WE measured CSF acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in 57 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with different apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype s at the early stage of the disease, and in 11 non-demented controls. The AChE activities of the whole AD group did not differ from those of controls. However, analysis of variance over the AD subgroups with tw o, one or no epsilon 4 alleles and controls showed significant differe nces (p < 0.0001); the AD patients with two epsilon 4 alleles had high er AChE activities than controls and AD patients with one or no epsilo n 4 and also the AD patients carrying one epsilon 4 allele had higher AChE activities than the AD patients without the epsilon 4 allele. The study suggests that cholinergic metabolism is altered in proportion t o the number of apoE epsilon 4 alleles. The different degree of AChE a ctivity in relation to the number of epsilon 4 alleles might have an i mpact on AD patients' responses to cholinesterase inhibitors.