Cerebrospinal fluid catecholamines levels in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and normal controls.

AIMS: Catecholamine analysis and studies to modulate dopamine and norepinephrine in dementia have had contradictory results. We aimed to analyze the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of L-DOPA, dopamine, and norepinephrine of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and normal controls (NC), and their relationship with clinical variables.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Cross-sectional, observational study, to analyze CSF L-DOPA, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in 35 patients with AD, 16 with FTD, and 38 NC.

RESULTS

L-DOPA was significantly lower in AD than NC (AD vs NC p = 0.039, DFT vs NC p = 0.052, DFT vs DA p = 1.00). Norepinephrine was positively correlated with age (r = 0.343, p = 0.035). Dopamine was higher in participants under antidepressive medication (p = 0.022among all participants; p = 0.046 in NC).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study reporting lower CSF L-DOPA levels in AD. Similar norepinephrine levels despite locus coeruleus neurons loss in AD point to compensatory mechanisms that could exacerbate L-DOPA deficiency.