Crutcher, K. A., Scott, S. A., Liang, S., Everson, W. V., and Weingartner J. (1993). Detection of NGF-like activity in human brain tissue: increased levels in Alzheimer's disease.
Journal of Neuroscience,13, (6):2540-50.
Abstract
A two-site ELISA and a bioassay were used to detect NGF-like
activity in human brain tissue. Both assays detected mouse NGF and
recombinant human NGF with approximately equal sensitivity, whereas
the antibodies showed little cross-reactivity with the recombinant
human proteins NT-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. NGF-like
activity was detected in fresh human cortical samples obtained from
epileptic patients, with the highest activity observed in the right
hemisphere of men. NGF-like activity was subsequently measured in
autopsy samples of frontal and occipital cortex from patients with
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and from individuals with no history or
pathological evidence of AD. Based on both the ELISA and the
bioassay measurements, NGF-like activity was significantly elevated
in both brain regions in AD. These results demonstrate the
feasibility of detecting NGF-like activity in both fresh and
postmortem human brain tissue and further suggest that AD is
characterized by increased, rather than decreased, levels of
cortical beta-NGF. The AD-related increase in NGF may be a
consequence of degenerative changes in the basal forebrain
cholinergic system.
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