Post-mortem examination of dopaminergic parameters in Alzheimer's disease: relationship to noncognitive symptoms

Dopaminergic mechanisms have been implicated in depression, agitation, and psychosis--symptoms that are frequently observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a longitudinal study, 23 prospectively assessed AD patients underwent autopsies in which concentrations of dopamine, homovanillic acid, and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were assayed in the temporal lobe (Brodmann areas 20 and 21). Data-reduction techniques were used to minimize the number of relationships tested. For this series of AD patients, no significant correlation was found between indices of dopaminergic neurotransmission and maximal severity of psychosis, depression, or agitation.