Mitotic index and Alzheimer's disease

ALZHEIMER'S disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is diag nosed definitively by increased numbers of p-amyloid plaques and neurofibri llary tangles in brain biopsy or autopsy specimens. There are no simple str aightforward laboratory tests currently available for clinical diagnosis. W e have found consistent reduction in mitotic index levels in skin fibroblas t cultures from AD individuals compared with age- and sex-matched controls. These differences were enhanced by overnight-exposure to colcemid (p = 0.0 4). Results suggest that mitotic index in skin fibroblasts cultures should be further investigated as a potential diagnostic indicator for AD. NeuroRe port 9: 3857-3861 (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.