Kappa-1 opioid receptors of the temporal cortex are preserved in Alzheimer's disease

Summary The binding of [³H]-U-69593 and [³H]-CI-997 to kappa-1 opioid receptors has been examined in the temporal cortex of postmortem brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease and age-matched controls using quantitative autoradiography. There was no significant difference between Alzheimer and control subjects in the level of [³H]-U-69593 and [³H]-CI-977 binding, but ChAT activity was markedly reduced (by 73% compared to controls). These results are not consistent with a presynaptic localisation of kappa-1 receptors on cholinergic terminals in human temporal cortex.