We have studied DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) and their repair, after gamma-irradiation, in lymphocytes from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and from normal, age-matched individuals, using alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation. We have found that values for AD patients and normals are similar in each of the following: level of breaks in unirradiated cells, level in cells irradiated with 150 Gy and rate of repair. Also, preliminary results for young and old normal individuals showed no significant difference between their SSB levels in unirradiated cells, nor between levels in irradiated cells nor in repair rate. In all cases, post-irradiation repair appeared to be almost complete after 50 min incubation. We conclude that gamma-irradiation produces no gross difference in the initial number of SSB between lymphocytes from AD patients, old normals and young normals, and that their repair is equally proficient.