Cerebrospinal fluid and serum beta secretase activities in Alzheimer's disease

Objective: in this study,we aimed to investigate β secretase activities in cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and serum of patients with alzheimer's disease (ad) as a possible biological marker in ad. methods: the serum and the csf samples were investigated in both patient and control groups. for serum analysis,thirteen patients diagnosed with 'probable ad' according to diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders,fourth edition (dsm iv) and national institute of neurological disorders and stroke-alzheimer disease and related disorders (nincds/adrda) criteria and twelve controls were studied. for csf analysis twelve patients diagnosed with 'probable ad' according to dsm iv and nincds/adrda criteria and nine controls were studied. results: there was no statistical difference in csf β secretase activity between ad patients (mean±s.e.,343.8 ± 47.9) and the controls (mean±s.e.,409.6 ± 34.9). there was also no statistical difference in serum β secretase activity between the patients (mean±s.e.,2298.9 ± 70.3) and the controls (mean±s.e.,2438.2 ± 119.4). conclusions: in conclusion,these results indicate that beta-secretase activity is not changed in alzheimer's disease.