REGIONAL SPECIFICITY OF MEMBRANE INSTABILITY IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE BRAIN

We report an inherent tendency towards the destabilisation of cellular membranes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. This tendency is a natur al consequence of abnormal membrane lipid composition, which has previ ously been documented in AD. Membrane destabilisation may contribute t o AD pathogenesis in its own right and may also facilitate amyloid bet a-protein deposition, which is potentially neurotoxic. The instability was found to co-localise selectively with areas of neurodegeneration in AD brain, thereby possibly accounting for the focal pathology obser ved in this disorder.