Glucocorticoid receptor gene expression is unaltered in hippocampal neurons in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Excessive glucocorticoid levels increase the metabolic vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to a wide variety of insults. Since glucocorticoid hypersecretion occurs in Alzheimer's-type dementia it has been proposed that a primary reduction in hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor expression leads to failure of feedback, hypercortisolemia and hence further neuronal loss. However, we have recently found that lesions of the cholinergic innervation of the hippocampus - known to be severely affected in Alzheimer's disease - increase corticosteroid receptor gene expression in the rat hippocampus. We have now examined both glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptor gene expression in ind..