Antimicroglia antibodies in sera of Alzheimer’s disease patients

Background: Immune mechanisms seem to contribute to the degenerative process in Alzheimer’s disease. Antibodies directed against animal brain tissue were found in sera of Alzheimer’s patients. Methods: Antibodies were measured in sera of 25 Alzheimer’s patients and a comparison group of 25 age- and sex-matched controls. Sera were tested for their immunological response to various brain structures of postmortem human brain tissue. Results: In 8 patients with Alzheimer’s disease perinuclear antibodies directed against microglia were found in amygdala and frontal cortex. In the control group 1 subject showed antibody binding to microglia. Conclusions: Perinuclear antibodies to microglia may play a role in tissue destruction of Alzheimer’s disease. These data add to the evidence that immune mechanisms play a role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease.