Antibodies against gangliosides in patients with dementia.

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that gangliosides act as important mediators in both de- and remyelination. The scope of the present research was to investigate the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies against GM1, GD1b, and GQ1b gangliosides in the sera of patients with dementia and the possible connection with clinical parameters of the disease. This research topic demonstrates the investigation of 103 patients with dementia and 60 healthy individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of 3 antiganglioside antibodies in their sera. The authors report a positive connection between IgM anti-GM1 and the age (P = .005) and the severity of dementia (P = .005). Most of the patients who revealed increased IgM anti-GD1b levels had Alzheimer's disease (AD; P = .002). This study indicates that elevated IgM anti-GM1 may be connected with the neurodegeneration in older patients with severe dementia and that AD may also be associated with increased IgM anti-GD1b levels.