B. Bondy et al., CYTOSOLIC-FREE [CA2-CELLS FROM DEMENTED PATIENTS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS(] IN MONONUCLEAR BLOOD), European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 243(5), 1994, pp. 224-228
There is increasing evidence that the neurodegenerative processes in A
lzheimer's disease (AD) may be related to alterations in calcium homeo
stasis and that these metabolic changes are not necessarily restricted
to the central nervous system. However, previous studies investigatin
g [Ca2+](i) in fibroblasts, lymphoblasts, platelets and lymphocytes of
AD patients gave inconclusive results, since increase, decrease and n
o alteration in [Ca2+](i) were found in AD patients compared with cont
rols. With respect to the importance of establishing altered Ca2+ home
ostasis in peripheral cells, we have investigated [Ca2+](i) in circula
ting mononuclear cells of patients with AD, multi-infarct dementia, ag
e-associated memory impairment and healthy controls. [Ca2+](i) was eva
luated using the fluorescent dye fura-2 before and during stimulation
with phythaemagglutinin (PHA). In our study we failed to find major di
fferences in resting [Ca2+](i) and in response to stimulation with 25
mu g/ml and 100 mu g/ml PHA in cells of AD patients as compared with a
ll other groups investigated. There was only a tendency towards a decr
ease in [Ca2+](i) in AD after stimulation with PHA. Thus the pre sent
findings suggest that [Ca2+](i) evaluation in mononuclear cells does n
ot have diagnostic value in discriminating AD patients from other deme
nted patients. However, there might be some difference in [Ca2+](i) va
lues between early- and late-onset AD, which could have pathophysiolog
ical importance.