Different Adenosine A_2A Receptor Expression in Peripheral Cells from Elderly Patients with Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Gussago, Cristina^{a; b} | Arosio, Beatrice^{a; b; *} | Casati, Martina^a | Ferri, Evelyn^a | Gualandris, Federica^b | Tedone, Enzo^{a; b} | Nicolini, Paola^a | Rossi, Paolo Dionigi^a | Abbate, Carlo^a | Mari, Daniela^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Geriatric Unit, University of Milan, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy | [b] Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Geriatrics, Milan, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Beatrice Arosio, Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy. Tel.: +39 02 55035405; Fax: +39 02 50320735; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: The line between vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is often blurred. In this study we investigated whether adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) expression can be used to differentiate between VaD and AD. We evaluated the expression of this receptor in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with VaD, mild cognitive impairment, AD, and controls. We found statistically significant lower levels of A2AR mRNA in VaD compared to AD subjects. These data suggest that A2AR expression may help in the differential diagnosis between VaD and AD.

Keywords: Adenosine receptors, Alzheimer's disease, biomarker, vascular dementia

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-131652

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 45-49, 2014