AUTHOR=Pan Xiongfeng , Kaminga Atipatsa C. , Jia Peng , Wen Shi Wu , Acheampong Kwabena , Liu Aizhong 

TITLE=Catecholamines in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2020.00184

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2020.00184

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Background and Purpose: Previous studies found inconsistent results regarding the relationship between AD and catecholamines, such as dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (EPI). Our study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate previous studies’ results on this relationship.
Method: Literature retrieval of eligible studies was performed in 4 databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Psyc-ARTICLES). Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated to assess differences in catecholamines between the AD groups and controls.
Results: Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Compared with the controls, significant lower levels of NE (SMD=-1.10, 95% CI: -2.01 to -0.18, p=0.019) and DA (SMD =-1.12, 95% CI: -1.88 to -0.37, p=0.003) concentrations were observed in patients with AD. No difference was found in EPI (SMD=-0.74, 95% CI: -1.85 to 0.37, p=0.189) between the two groups. 
Conclusion: Overall, these findings are in line with the hypothesis that reduced NE and DA may be an important indicator for AD. (Registration number CRD42018112816)