Choline uptake in patients with Alzheimer pre-senile dementia.

Serum and CSF choline levels were measured in 12 patients with pre-senile Alzheimer's disease before and 1 hour after administration of 1.5 g choline chloride or 25 g lecithin granules. Serum choline levels were increased threefold and CSF choline levels by 72%. CSF choline levels in the untreated Alzheimer patients did not differ significantly from age-matched controls. In 35 neurological controls, CSF choline levels increased with age (R = 0.64, p less than 0.001). Choline influx into erythrocytes from 10 male and 10 female Alzheimer patients did not differ significantly from 40 male and 43 female controls. Choline influx into erythrocytes was not related to age or sex, although the range of values was greater (p less than 0.05) in females than in males. Our results indicate that there is no impairment of choline transport into CSF or erythrocytes in patients with pre-senile Alzheimer's disease.