ganglioside--gd1a and Alzheimer-Disease

Immunohistochemical staining of brain tissues from patients with Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD) with an anti-GD1a ganglioside monoclonal antibody is described. This monoclonal antibody labeled some myelinated nerve fibers in brain tissue from a non-demented control subject, in which the staining was distributed preferentially in the cerebral white matter. In brain tissue from ATD patients, some senile plaques (SPs) were also immunostained, with the strongest staining in the hippocampal subiculum, where most of the SPs appeared as clusters of dots. When the immunohistochemical staining was compared with a methenamine silver stain (MS stain), these immunopositive dots were found to be argyrophilic dystrophic (or degenerating) neurites. No amyloid deposits, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) or neuropil threads were immunostained. In this study, we used sections cut from formaldehyde-fixed brain samples with a cryostat and pretreatment of the sections with chloroform was essential to obtain positive immunostaining. Gangliosides have been demonstrated to possess some neurotrophic activity and to be localized on cell surface membranes. The localization of the GD1a ganglioside observed in dystrophic neurites suggests that such neurites accumulate a membranous component. In addition, the accumulation of the GD1a ganglioside in SPs suggests it may contribute to SP formation.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Brain; Gangliosides; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Staining and Labeling

The four major brain gangliosides, GM1, GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b, were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 43 patients with "probable Alzheimer's disease (AD)" and 40 healthy controls without psychiatric or neurological disorders. The total concentration of the four gangliosides did not differ significantly between "probable AD" group (116 +/- 58 nmol/L) and controls (92 +/- 31 nmol/L), but the proportion between the gangliosides was changed. In the "probable AD" group compared with the age-matched control group, there was an increase in both the GM1 (22.6 +/- 9.3% vs 12.6 +/- 4.1%; p < 0.0001) and GD1a (32.1 +/- 9.8% vs 23.3 +/- 5.7%; p < 0.0005) proportion, and a decrease in the GD1b (20.0 +/- 6.6% vs 23.8 +/- 6.0%; p < 0.05) and GT1b (25.3 +/- 7.9 vs 40.3 +/- 9.3%; p < 0.0001) proportion. The proportion of GM1 showed a positive correlation with age in the control group (r = 0.45; p < 0.01), but a negative correlation with age in the "probable AD" group (r = -0.37; p < 0.05). Thus, although the increase in proportion GM1 in the "probable AD" group was preferentially found in younger "probable AD" patients, it was not caused by age differences. While the pathogenetic mechanism for these changes in CSF-gangliosides in "probable AD" remains to be established, it may reflect the degeneration of nerve cells and synapses.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Female; G(M1) Ganglioside; Gangliosides; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Reference Values