Neuronal degeneration in locus ceruleus and cortical correlates of Alzheimer disease.

Relationships were examined between neuronal degeneration in the nucleus locus ceruleus (nLC), a parameter of central noradrenergic impairment, and neocortical markers of Alzheimer disease (AD). The loss of nLC neurons was found to correlate significantly with norepinephrine concentration, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, and numbers of plaques and tangles on Brodmann area 24 (cingulate); ChAT and plaque counts in area 21 (temporal); and with ChAT activity in area 10 (frontal). In addition, nLC neuronal counts were correlated significantly with the severity and estimated duration of dementia. The number of neurofibrillary tangles in nLC, which did not correlate significantly with neocortical markers of AD, correlated with the estimated duration and severity of dementia. These data suggest that changes in central noradrenergic pathways are related to the pathophysiology of AD.