Antibodies to normal and Alzheimer human brain structures from non-immunised mice of various ages

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human autoantibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein: higher titer of the antibody is detected in serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease

We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) autoantibody in human sera. The ELISA was prepared by coating microtest plates with purified GFAP from bovine spinal cord. The autoantibody activities were assayed in the serum from 219 control subjects, 39 Alzheimer's disease patients and 39 cerebrovascular dementia patients. Higher titer of the antibody was observed in the serum of Alzheimer's disease patients. Since the titer showed no significant change with aging or with sex in the control serum, we could determine a certain normal value of the antibody titer. The percentage of abnormal subjects whose antibody levels were over the normal value was 53.8% in Alzheimer's disease (presenile onset) patients, 30.8% in Alzheimer's disease (senile onset) patients, 10.3% in cerebrovascular dementia patients and 5.5% in control subjects. We discuss the relationship between the anti-GFAP autoantibody and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and suggest that the evaluation of anti-GFAP autoantibody level may be useful in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.

Congo red birefringent structures in the hypothalamus in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

Serial cryostat sections of hypothalamus from four cases of Alzheimer-type dementia and four controls were stained with Congo red and examined for birefringence. Green birefringence and dichroism was associated with (a) neurofibrillary tangles, which were most numerous at the level of the tuberomammillary nucleus where they were found in large acetylcholinesterase-positive neurons; (b) neuropil processes within tangle fields; (c) a few plaque cores in the mammillary body; (d) spicules at the ependyma of the third ventricle, and (e) blood vessels. Birefringence (e) had different properties from (a) to (d) and was considered to be due to collagen. The ependymal spicules did not react with an antibody which recognized the tangles and neuropil processes. Each Alzheimer case had many more tangles than the control cases. Birefringence in (b)-(d) tended to be greater in the Alzheimer than in the control cases. This study confirms previous reports of large numbers of tangles in circumscribed areas of caudal hypothalamus in Alzheimer-type dementia and demonstrates that Congo red staining reveals abnormalities in hypothalamic structures (neuropil processes and ependyma) not demonstrated by other staining techniques.