[Circulating human pituitary prolactin cell autoantibodies and Alzheimer's disease].

Prolactin cell autoantibodies (PRL cells Ab) were detected in 96 p. cent of 27 cases of Alzheimer's presenile dementia and senile dementia, as defined by clinical criteria and data from CT scans. The very high frequency of these autoantibodies appears to be even more significant of Alzheimer's disease in that they were found with a similar frequency in patients with Down's syndrome aged from 13 to 33 years. The frequency of PRL cells Ab is very low in the general population including patients with endocrine disorders. Current evidence indicates that higher levels exist only in cases of arteriopathic dementia, in subjects over 80 years and in subjects with isolated organic memory disturbances, though their frequency may be such that it suggests the probability of Alzheimer's disease. The etiopathogenic significance of these autoantibodies is not clear, but they support a role of autoimmune factors in Alzheimer's disease.