CSF SOMATOSTATIN IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Low somatostatin levels in autopsy cortical tissue from Alzheimer''s disease (AD) patients and low somatostatin levels with CSF obtained from subjects with dementia have been demonstrated. Levels of this peptide were evaluated in 21 non-depressed subjects, 10 with AD, 2 with Parkinson''s disease (PD) and 9 with other neurological conditions. AD patients had significantly lower mean CSF somatostatin than the other neurological patients (14.6 .+-. 1.5 SEM [standard error of the mean] vs. 26.7 .+-. 3.2 pg/ml, P < 0.005). A demented PD subject had a level in the range of the AD group, while the non-demented PD patient had a value above this range. All 11 patients with AD or PD dementia, analogous disorders, had levels below 21.8 mg/ml, while 7 of the 10 remaining patients had values above 21.8 pg/ml. Age did not explain this finding.