# ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, DENTAL AMALGAMS AND MERCURY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 1991 · $165,615

## Abstract

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a major national health problem affecting
approximately 4 million individuals in this country.  The etiology and
pathogenesis of AD are not known. It has been postulated that trace
elements neurotoxicity or imbalances play a role in the pathogenesis of
AD.  Our recent studies have shown an elevation of mercury (Hg) in the
brains of AD patients.  The source of this Hg is not known.  Others have
shown that dental amalgam fillings are a source of a large fraction of
the Hg distributed in the body of normal individuals.  There is
considerable public and scientific concern about the safety of dental
amalgams.  The overall objective of this proposal is to study the
relationship between brain Hg, dental amalgam fillings and AD.  To do
this we will study AD patients and control subjects during life and at
autopsy.  Each subject will have an assessment of dental amalgams
locations, surface areas and length of time in the mouth, and an amalgam
index will be determined.  Following death the amount of Hg in the brain
and other organs will be measured by neutron actuation analysis.  The Hg
levels in the brain will be correlated with the amalgam index and the
number of senile plaque and neurofibrillary, tangles in AD and control.
AD data will be obtained from subjects that are presently enrolled in two
different funded studies at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown
Center on Aging.  In Central Kentucky both control and AD subjects are
part of ongoing NIA funded research projects at the Alzheimer's Disease
Research Center.  The School Sisters of Notre Dame located in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin will be the second population which will provide both control
and AD subjects for study.  This cohort provides a homogenous group of
females with relatively similar long-term life styles in the same
geographic location.  Over the five year period of the study we estimate
we will be able to obtain oral and autopsy data on 125 control and 125
AD subjects.  They study should provide a greater understanding of the
role of dental amalgams and Hg in AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3122580
- **Project number:** 1R01AG010664-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** H1HYA8Z1NTM5
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM R MARKESBERY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1991
- **Award amount:** $165,615
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1991-09-29 → 1996-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3122580

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3122580, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, DENTAL AMALGAMS AND MERCURY (1R01AG010664-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3122580. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*