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Comparisons of telomere lengths in peripheral blood and cerebellum in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Lukens J. Nicholas,
Van Deerlin Vivianna,
Clark Christopher M.,
Xie Sharon X.,
Johnson F. Brad
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2009.05.666
Subject(s) - telomere , cerebellum , pathogenesis , alzheimer's disease , case control study , biology , pathology , disease , medicine , dna , genetics , endocrinology
Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have been reported to have shorter telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) than age‐matched control subjects. However, it is unclear if PBL telomere length reflects brain telomere length, which might play a more direct role in AD pathogenesis. We examined the correlation between PBL and cerebellum telomere length in AD patients, and compared telomere lengths in cerebella from individuals with AD versus age‐matched control subjects. Methods Mean telomere lengths were measured using quantitative telomere polymerase chain reaction of genomic DNA prepared from matched PBL and cerebellum samples from 29 individuals with pathologically confirmed sporadic AD. Telomere length was also measured in cerebellum samples of 30 AD patients versus 22 unaffected age‐matched control subjects. Results The PBL and cerebellum telomere lengths were directly correlated in individuals with AD ( r = 0.42, P = 0.023). Nonetheless, cerebellum telomere lengths were not significantly different in AD patients and age‐matched control subjects. Conclusions Reduced PBL telomere length in AD might not reflect reduced telomere length in bulk brain tissue, but may be a marker of changes in a subset of brain tissues or other tissues that affect the pathogenesis of AD.