Evidence of Glutamatergic Denervation and Possible Abnormal Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Excitatory dicarboxylic amino acids previously have been ascribed several functions in the brain. Here their total concentration and proposed neurochemical markers of neurotransmitter function have been measured in brain from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and controls. Specimens were obtained antemortem (biopsy) approximately 3 years after emergence of symptoms and promptly (+‐dependent uptake of D‐[³H]aspartic acid was almost always lowest in AD subjects compared with control when assessed by a method designed to minimise artifacts and epiphenomena. Release of endogenous neuro‐transmitters from human brain tissue postmortem did not appear to have the characteristics of that from human tissue antemortem and rat brain.