Vasopressin levels in CSF of Alzheimer patients: correlations with monoamine metabolites and neuropsychological test performance.

Concentrations of vasopressin (AVP) and monoamine metabolites (HVA, 5-HIAA, MHPG) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured and compared with memory functions in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) and control subjects. CSF concentrations did not differ between the DAT patients and the controls, or between patients with different degrees of dementia. There were no correlations between concentrations of vasopressin and monoamine metabolites in CSF or between the CSF measures and psychological test scores, except for a correlation between CSF HVA and immediate and delayed story recall. These data suggest that probable damage to the vasopressinergic and monoaminergic systems in DAT is not reflected in the CSF of patients in early stages of the disease, nor is a deficit in these systems or their interaction the primary cause of cognitive impairment in DAT.