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N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor and apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease and multiinfarct dementia
Author(s) -
Fang Marong,
Li Jicheng,
Tiu S.C.,
Zhang Lihong,
Wang Mingwei,
Yew David T.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.20558
Subject(s) - excitotoxicity , colocalization , nmda receptor , tunel assay , neuroscience , apoptosis , receptor , hippocampal formation , dementia , alzheimer's disease , cortex (anatomy) , biology , medicine , disease , biochemistry
This study investigates the role of excitotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease and in multiinfarct dementia by examining, via immunohistochemical methods, the number of cells that are positive for N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor and the degree of colocalization between NMDA receptor and apoptosis markers such as TUNEL or activated caspase‐3 in the frontal cortex of individuals with these two conditions, comparing the results with those from subjects who died of normal aging. We showed an increased number of NMDA receptor‐positive cells and an increased number of TUNEL‐labeled cells in the frontal cortex of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, especially in the deeper layers of the cortex. However, only about 10% of cells showed colocalization of NMDA receptor with the apoptosis markers studied, suggesting that NMDA‐mediated excitotoxicity does not play a major role in neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease or in multiinfarct dementia. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.