Natural IgG antibodies to β amyloid are decreased in patients with Parkinson's disease

Natural antibodies (nAbs) against aggregation-prone proteins have been found in healthy normal subjects. These proteins likely have a pathogenetic role in neurodegenerative diseases of ageing. They include the amyloid beta (A beta) protein which may play an important role in Alzheimer's dementia (AD), and alpha-synuclein, a major determinant of Parkinson's disease (PD). We measured nAbs to A beta in a group of Italian patients with AD, vascular dementia, non-demented PD patients and healthy elderly controls. We found that A beta antibody levels in AD were similar to age- and sex-matched controls, but contrary to our expectations, they were significantly reduced in PD. This may identify patients that could be more prone to amyloid aggregation.