The presence and origin of autoantibodies against α4 and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the human blood: possible relevance to Alzheimer's pathology.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a loss of α4β2 and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain and severe memory impairments. Previously, we found that antibodies elicited against extracellular domain of α7 nAChR subunit decreased the number of α7 nAChRs in the brains of mice and impaired episodic memory. Here we show that antibodies capable to bind α7(1-208) are present in the blood of both healthy humans and AD patients.