AMINO-ACID-CONCENTRATIONS IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AND SERUM IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE AND VASCULAR DEMENTIA

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum levels of 22 amino acids were stud ied in 13 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), 13 patie nts with vascular dementia (VD) and 15 age-matched controls. We found significantly reduced levels of glutamate in CSF samples from DAT pati ents compared to VD and control subjects, but CSF levels of aspartate were found to be significantly elevated in the two groups of dementia studied. Moreover, CSF concentrations of tyrosine, leucine and phenyla lanine were significantly increased in VD patients in comparison with those in DAT patients and control subjects. Our results showed a wide increase in CSF/serum amino acid ratios in DAT and VD groups compared to controls. However, no differences were found in CSF/serum ratios be tween dementia groups. These changes show evidence for a possible diso rder of amino acid metabolism with different patterns in these two dem entia types.