Jenkins E C, Ye L, Gu H, Wisniewski H M
NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314-6399, USA.
Neuroreport. 1998 Dec 1;9(17):3857-61. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199812010-00017.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is diagnosed definitively by increased numbers of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain biopsy or autopsy specimens. There are no simple straightforward laboratory tests currently available for clinical diagnosis. We have found consistent reduction in mitotic index levels in skin fibroblast cultures from AD individuals compared with age- and sex-matched controls. These differences were enhanced by overnight exposure to colcemid (p = 0.04). Results suggest that mitotic index in skin fibroblasts cultures should be further investigated as a potential diagnostic indicator for AD.
