Antibodies against the tom40 subunit of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane complex and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease.

Recent studies suggest that microvascular abnormalities are involved in pathology and progression of Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of antibodies against cerebral microvascular endothelial cells specific for Alzheimer's disease, and to evaluate the association of these antibodies with cognitive impairment. The study included patients with Alzheimer's disease (age ≥60 years; 24 patients), control subjects without neurological diseases (age ≥60 years; 19 subjects), patients with multiple sclerosis (all ages; 17 patients), and healthy control subjects (age <40 years; 18 subjects). Serum was analyzed with 2-dimensional electrophoresis and Western blot, with cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells as the antigen source. The anti-Tom40 antibody was identified significantly more frequently in patients with Alzheimer's disease than control subjects or patients with multiple sclerosis. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, the mean scores for the Mini-Mental State Examination were significantly lower for patients who were positive for anti-Tom40 antibody than those who were negative for anti-Tom40 antibody. In summary, the anti-Tom40 antibody is significantly associated with cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease.