Cortical Substance P‐Like Immunoreactivity in Cases of Alzheimer's Disease and Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Abstract
The concentration of substance P-like immunoreactive material (SPLI) and somatostatin-like immunoreactive material (SLI) and the activity of acetyl-CoA: choline-O-acetyltransferase (ChAT; EC 2.3.1.6.) were measured in eight brain regions of 13 normal patients and 12 patients with Alzheimer disease/senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT). SPLI was significantly lower in five of eight regions in the patients with AD/SDAT. Younger patients with AD/SDAT had significantly lower SLI in the parietal cortex than older patients. ChAT activity and SPLI in the parietal cortex of the presenile patients with ADISDAT were not significantly different from values found in older patients.