Benjamin Wolozin on Reduction of plasma 24S-hydroxycholesterol (cerebrosterol) levels using high-dosage simvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia: evidence that simvastatin affects cholesterol metabolism in the human brain.

COMMENT As the article mentions, recent observations that patients taking statins have a lower prevalence of AD raised question about the mechanism of action of the statins. Specifically, it is not clear whether statins might act by lowering cholesterol in the br

Hiroshi Mori on Common core structure of amyloid fibrils by synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

COMMENT The ultrastructural information of amyloid fibril is one of the most important urgent issues on AD study. 0 mori

Paul Coleman on Cholinergic markers in elderly patients with early signs of Alzheimer disease.

COMMENT This study examined the cholinergic system in postmortem brain samples of patients with CDR 0.0 to 2.0 in comparison to 4.0- 5.0. The abstract states: 'cholinergic deficits were not apparent in individuals with mild AD and were not present until rela

Hiroshi Mori on Copper-binding amyloid precursor protein undergoes a site-specific fragmentation in the reduction of hydrogen peroxide.

COMMENT This paper is interesting because of a potent relationship between APP metabolism and radical formation on the basis of a site-specific cleavage. 0 mori

Hiroshi Mori on Accelerated Alzheimer-type phenotype in transgenic mice carrying both mutant amyloid precursor protein and presenilin 1 transgenes.

COMMENT Undoubtedly this paper indicates an AD model to show neuropathological change and enables us to analyze the detailed study. It is important to be aware that the behavioral change appears before neuropathological changes such as the plaque formation. 0 mor

Paul Coleman on Identification and localization of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the Alzheimer's brain.

COMMENT Another organism linked to AD. Why has this not been seen before? 0 Paul_Coleman

Paul Coleman on Occupational exposures to solvents and aluminium and estimated risk of Alzheimer's disease.

COMMENT Another bit of evidence against a role of aluminum in AD. 0 Paul_Coleman

Paul Coleman on A quantitative study of neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaques and astrocytes in the hippocampal subdivisions and entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer's disease, normal controls and non-Alzheimer neuropsychiatric diseases.

COMMENT It is not clear that the authors of this study considered the effect of changes in the volume of the regions studied on their density measures of NFT, SP and astrocytes. 0 Paul_Coleman

Nikolaos K. Robakis on Wide range of disease onset in a family with Alzheimer disease and a His163Tyr mutation in the presenilin-1 gene.

COMMENT This is the first report that even the effects of PS1 mutations on the development of AD may be modified by environmental factors. It may also indicate that a linkage between AD and PS1 mutations may not be as tight as it is now assumed. 0 nikos.robakis

Paul Coleman on High frequency of apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele in young individuals with very mild Alzheimer's disease-related neurofibrillary changes.

COMMENT The results of this study are consistent with the earlier onset of clinically defined AD in ApoE4+ individuals. 0 Paul_Coleman

John Olney on Decreased immunosuppressive effect of cortisol on natural killer cytotoxic activity in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.

COMMENT Solerte et al report that the ability of cortisol to suppress natural killer cytotoxic activity is reduced in AD and postulate that this may lead to natural killer dysregulation and cytokine-mediated natural killer overactivity in AD. It is unclear whethe

Hiroshi Mori on E2F1 mediates death of B-amyloid-treated cortical neurons in a manner independent of p53 and dependent on Bax and caspase 3.

COMMENT This is one of the interesting papers in AD. Several lines of knowledge on molecules such as p53 or other caspases involved in the well-known cellular oncogenic or pathological cascades are welcome in AD-related cell death because of simple interest and f

Elliott Mufson on Zinc and Alzheimer's disease: is there a direct link?

COMMENT Good review. 0 emufson

Hiroshi Mori on Specific regional transcription of apolipoprotein E in human brain neurons.

COMMENT This result suggests that apoE expressed in neuron is the crucial factor to determine the specific pattern of pathogenesis. 0 mori

Paul Coleman on Free radicals and superoxide dismutase in blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

COMMENT These data are consistent with the hypothesis that AD has a significant systemic component. 0 Paul_Coleman