[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Kungälv, Sweden; 6 Dept. of Clin. Neuroscience, Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 7 Univ. of Oslo, Dept. of Neurol. at Akershus Univ. Hosp., Oslo,
Norway; 8 The Sahlgrenska Acad. at Univ. of Gothenburg, Dept. of Rheumatology and
Inflammation Res., Göteborg, Sweden; 9 Dept. of Rheumatology, Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden; 10 Inst. for Clin. Sciences, Malmö Univ. Hospital, Lund Univ., Malmö,
Sweden
Abstract: Cell and animal experiments have shown that beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1
(BACE1) is required for neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-mediated activation of myelination by
oligodendrocytes. In this study we assess the association of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) BACE1
activity with multiple sclerosis (MS). BACE1 activity and levels of secreted amyloid precursor
protein (APP) and amyloid-beta (A-beta) isoforms were analyzed in CSF from 100 MS patients
and 114 neurologically healthy controls. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 26
with and 41 without cerebral engagement, were also included to enable comparisons with regards
to another autoimmune disease. A subset of MS patients and controls underwent a second lumbar
puncture after 10 years. MS patients had lower CSF BACE1 activity than controls (p=0.003) and
patients with cerebral and non-cerebral SLE (p