K. Brugge et al., Correlations of glutathione peroxidase activity with memory impairment in adults with Down syndrome, BIOL PSYCHI, 46(12), 1999, pp. 1682-1689
Background: Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder (trisomy 21 in 96% of
cases), associated with an excess of a key enzyme involved with free radica
l metabolism (FRM), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), that is encoded by a ge
ne on chromosome 21. Consequently, SOD-1 activity is elevated in DS, which
also occurs in conditions of oxidative stress, and is associated with a com
pensatory increase in glutathione peroxidase activity (GSHPx).
Methods: This study examined the relationship of memory function with eryth
rocyte SOD-I, GSHPx and catalase (CAT) activity in 22-51 year old adults wi
th DS.
Results: Mean erythrocyte SOD-1 (p < .02) and GSHPx (p < .01), but not CAT
(p = .76), activities were significantly greater in the DS group than the c
ontrols. In the DS group, erythrocyte GSHPx; but not SOD-I or CAT activitie
s was significantly correlated with memory function (r = .625 p < .025 df =
13 for savings score, r = .631, p < .01, df = 14 for intrusion errors) but
not with intelligence quotients.
Conclusions: These observations suggest a possible relationship between alt
ered FRM with memory deficits among adults with DS within the age-range in
that an age-related increase in the prevalence for Alzheimer's neuropatholo
gy is known to be robust before reaching a plateau of 100%. Biol Psychiatry
1999;46:1682-1689.