| Popis: |
Beta-nerve growth factor (β-NGF) is known to affect the survival of cholinergic neurones in vivo and in vitro and may, therefore, be of benefit in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). If β-NGF is used as a therapy, the presence of receptors on functioning neurones will be required. We have therefore examined the number and size distribution of neurones expressing β-NGF receptors in the nucleus of the diagonal band and the anterior, intermediate and posterior regions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert in AD and compared these findings with normal brain. In general, there were less immunoreactive neurones in AD, although there was not a statistically significant reduction in any region. In some AD brains there was an increase in the proportion of small neurones, with a decrease in larger neurones. The binding characteristics of radiolabelled NGF were determined on membrane preparations of basal forebrain from normal and AD brains; analysis of saturation data indicated one site, commensurate with the low affinity receptor described for other species. The mean dissociation constant (Kd) and the mean capacity (B-max) of this receptor were not significantly different in AD compared with normal basal forebrain. Our results suggest that in many AD patients there are numerous neurones expressing the receptor for β-NGF and that the low affinity form of this receptor is apparently unchanged in terms of its binding characteristics. |
