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Plasma cortisol and norepinephrine in Alzheimer’s disease: opposite relations with recall performance and stage of progression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Karel J. Bemelmans ,
Annemarie Noort ,
Roel de Rijk ,
Huub A. M. Middelkoop ,
Godfried M. J. van Kempen  and
Jaap G. Goekoop
Karel J. Bemelmans*
Affiliation:
GGZ-Leiden, Rivierduinen, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
Annemarie Noort
Affiliation:
de Stichting ‘Meerkanten’, Harderwijk,The Netherlands
Roel de Rijk
Affiliation:
Division of Medical Pharmacology, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Huub A. M. Middelkoop
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Godfried M. J. van Kempen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Jaap G. Goekoop
Affiliation:
GGZ-Leiden, Rivierduinen, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
*
Karel J. Bemelmans, GGZ- Leiden, Rivierduinen, Rijngeesterstraatweg 13a, 2342 AN Oegstgeest, The Netherlands. Tel: 031-71-8907652; Fax: 031-71-8907620; E-mail: k.bemelmans@ggzleiden.nl
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Abstract

Objective:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by effortful retrieval memory impairments, loss of hippocampal neurons and elevated plasma cortisol (CORT) concentrations. The latter could induce further memory decline. AD is also characterized by increased central and peripheral noradrenergic activity. Since noradrenergic function is involved in memory formation, this upregulated function could counteract memory decline. The aim of the present study was to test these hypotheses using plasma norepinephrine (NE) as a noradrenergic parameter, and recall of the prerecency part of neutral valence word lists as a measure of effortful retrieval.

Methods:

Area under the curve (AUC) of morning, midday and afternoon plasma CORT and plasma NE concentrations was related to two measures of recall performance, ie summated recall scores of the prerecency and recency parts of three word lists, and to the stage of the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).

Results:

Partial correlation between each hormone AUC value and prerecency recall performance, controlling for the effect of the other hormone, showed opposite relations between recall and either plasma CORT or NE. Similar stronger correlations were found with the CDR score.

Conclusions:

Plasma CORT and NE are oppositely related with effortful retrieval and the stage of progression in AD.

Keywords

Alzheimer’s diseaseplasma cortisolplasma norepinephrinerecall performancestage of progression
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , August 2007 , pp. 231 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Blackwell Munksgaard

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