ROLE OF INCREASED CEREBRAL MYOINOSITOL IN THE DEMENTIA OF DOWN-SYNDROME

The purpose of this study was to determine cerebral myoinositol (mI) i n adults with Down syndrome (DS), and to trace the chronobiology of DS to Alzheimer disease (AD). AD has characteristic neuropathology of ne urofibrillary plaques and tangles; indirect evidence links this to ear lier deposition of beta-amyloid. Elevated mI, which distinguishes AD f rom other common dementias, is also elevated in 23 young patients who have DS without dementia. In one patient who has DS with dementia, mi is elevated and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) decreased. The similarity to A D is striking and may suggest a progressive neurochemical disorder in which elevation of mi precede loss of NAA in both AD and DS.