Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Motor and Hippocampal Dependent Spatial Learning and Reference Memory Assessment in a Transgenic Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease with Stroke
Published on: March 22, 2016
Alzheimer-like neurotransmitter deficits in adult Down's syndrome brain tissue
Abstract:
Brain tissue taken at necropsy from five cases of Down's syndrome and six controls was analysed for changes in neurotransmitter markers. Concentrations of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA) and its major metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) were determined by means of HPLC, whilst choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was measured by a radiochemical technique. Significant reductions in NA, 5HT and ChAT were found in most cortical and subcortical regions of the Down's syndrome tissue investigated. The neuropathological lesions were assessed using a fluorescent stain for neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These were present to varying extents in every Down's syndrome case except the youngest but were not found in control tissue of comparable age. The results indicate profound transmitter deficits and neuropathological abnormalities in adult patients with Down's syndrome, which closely resemble those of Alzheimer's disease.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is critical for...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Dementia l: Introduction

