Patent ID: 6358681
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method of identifying cytoplasmic RNAs in senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuropil threads of brain tissue taken from a hippocampal region or an entorhinal cortex of a brain, wherein said cytoplasmic RNAs encode proteins involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease comprising:(a) isolating single senile plaques in brain tissue by immunocytochemical techniques; (b) identifying the presence of cytoplasmic RNA by contacting said senile plaque with a fluorescent dye capable of intercalating selectively into cytoplasmic RNAs present in said brain tissue; (c) amplifying the identified RNA; and (d) determining whether the amplified RNA product hybridizes to any known cDNAs for proteins involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.