Magri F, Terenzi F, Ricciardi T, Fioravanti M, Solerte S B, Stabile M, Balza G, Gandini C, Villa M, Ferrari E
Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, Chair of Geriatrics, University of Pavia, Italy.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2000 Mar-Apr;11(2):90-9. doi: 10.1159/000017220.
The circadian organization of adrenal secretion was studied in 23 healthy elderly subjects, 23 elderly demented patients and 10 healthy young subjects, in order to investigate the relationships between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and some cerebral morphometric parameters. The cerebral morphometric analysis was performed in some subjects of the three groups by MRI. A significant increase in cortisol levels during evening and nighttime was found in both groups of the aged subjects. In elderly subjects, particularly if demented, the mean serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAs) levels throughout the 24-hour cycle were significantly lower than in young controls. A significant reduction of the hippocampal and temporal volume and an enlargement of the lateral ventricles were found in aged subjects, these changes being significantly related to subjects' age. Moreover, the hippocampal volume was positively correlated with the circadian mesor of DHEAs (i.e., the circadian rhythm adjusted mean) and with the cortisol nocturnal increase. Our data may suggest the existence of a link between the selective impairment of cortisol secretion and DHEAs levels, and the progression of hippocampal degeneration.
对23名健康老年人、23名老年痴呆患者和10名健康年轻人的肾上腺分泌昼夜节律进行了研究，以探讨下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴与一些脑形态学参数之间的关系。通过MRI对三组中的部分受试者进行了脑形态学分析。在老年受试者的两组中均发现夜间和夜间皮质醇水平显著升高。在老年受试者中，尤其是痴呆患者，整个24小时周期内血清硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAs）的平均水平显著低于年轻对照组。在老年受试者中发现海马体和颞叶体积显著减小，侧脑室扩大，这些变化与受试者年龄显著相关。此外，海马体体积与DHEAs的昼夜节律中值（即调整后的昼夜节律均值）以及皮质醇夜间升高呈正相关。我们的数据可能表明皮质醇分泌的选择性损害与DHEAs水平之间存在联系，以及海马体变性的进展。
