Butyrylcholinesterase K variant associated with higher enzyme activity in the temporal cortex of elderly patients

Abstract There is evidence to suggest an involvement of the K variant of the butyrylcholinesterase gene ( BCHE ) in dementia. We have examined the relationship between BCHE genotype and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in autopsy brain tissue. We studied 164 autopsy cases, 144 with dementia and 20 controls, including 13 K homozygotes and 48 K heterozygotes, from three centres: Newcastle, Oxford and London. Mean BuChE activity in temporal cortex was 37% higher in K homozygotes than in wild-type homozygotes. Linear regression analysis, controlling for gender, diagnosis, age at death and study centre, showed that the number of BCHE -K alleles was associated with increasing BuChE activity ( p  = 0.009).