Oxidative damage in mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease.

Increasing evidence supports a role for oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Multiple studies show significantly increased levels of lipid peroxidation and protein, DNA, and RNA oxidation in vulnerable regions of the brain of patients with late-stage AD (LAD). More recent studies of patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest clinical manifestation of AD, show similar patterns of oxidative damage. These observations suggest that oxidative damage to critical biomolecules occurs early in the pathogenesis of AD and precedes pronounced neuropathologic alterations. Because oxidative damage begins early in the progress of the disease, it represents a potential therapeutic target for slowing the onset and progression of AD.