Acetylcholinesterase activities in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type.

We have studied, as a possible marker of cholinergic neurons, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 21 SDA patients and 9 controls of similar age with no neurological disease. The AChE activities were significantly lower in the SDA patients compared to the controls. The AChE activities were also lowered in the most severely demented patients compared to those who were less severely demented but the difference was not statistically significant. As a potential glia marker, beta-glucuronidase activity in CSF was studied, but no significant difference was found in the activities of the SDA patients compared to the controls. The reduced AChE activities in the CSF of the SDA patients may be related to the loss of cholinergic neurons or disturbed cholinergic metabolism in the brain.