The clinical significance of plasmatic amyloid A{beta}-40 peptide levels in Alzheimer's disease patients treated with galantamine.

To date there are no conclusive reports on the usefulness of determining amyloid peptides in the serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Only anecdotal works deal with the changes in the peptides produced by cholinesterase inhibitors. In this study, the authors investigated and studied the clinical significance of plasmatic Abeta-40 and Abeta-42 peptide levels in a series of 34 consecutive patients with AD. The baseline levels of the Abeta-40 peptide correlated negatively with the Mini Examen Cognoscitivo (Spanish version of the Mini-Mental test) score. Complete follow-up was possible in 22 patients. After 6 months of treatment with galantamine, the mean Abeta-40 peptide levels decreased from 31.86 to 24.22 pg/mL. The baseline levels of Abeta-40 were predictive of response to treatment in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale. The authors conclude that determining plasmatic Abeta-40 peptide levels could be useful in predicting and monitoring response to treatment in AD.