Cholecystokinin and somatostatin in Alzheimer's disease postmortem cerebral cortex.

The neuropeptides cholecystokinin (CCK) and somatostatin are synthesized in separate, but morphologically similar, populations of locally projecting neurons in cerebral cortex. Concentrations of somatostatin are markedly diminished in Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting possible dysfunction of the intrinsic cortical neurons in which it is produced. We determined whether cortical levels of CCK might be similarly affected in AD by dissecting …