Electroencephalographic correlates of increased platelet membrane fluidity in Alzheimer's disease.

Increased platelet membrane fluidity is a stable, familial characteristic that describes a clinically distinct subgroup of patients with Alzheimer's disease. In the current study, electroencephalograms (EEGs) from 49 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease were subjected to visual and computerized spectral analysis. Only three (14.3%) of 21 patients in the subgroup with increased platelet membrane fluidity exhibited focal EEG abnormalities, while 12 (42.9%) of 28 of the residual subgroup exhibited focal EEG findings, a threefold difference. This difference in EEG profile provides further validation of these two subgroups and suggests that the subgroup with increased fluidity is less heterogeneous than the residual group.