Cerebrospinal fluid markers for differential dementia diagnosis in a large memory clinic cohort

N. S.M. Schoonenboom*, F. E. Reesink, N. A. Verwey, M. I. Kester, C. E. Teunissen, P. M. Van De Ven, Y. A.L. Pijnenburg, M. A. Blankenstein, A. J. Rozemuller, P. Scheltens, W. M. Van Der Flier

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

180 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To determine how amyloid β 42 (Aβ42), total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) levels in CSF behave in a large cohort of patients with different types of dementia. Methods: Baseline CSF was collected from 512 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and 272 patients with other types of dementia (OD), 135 patients with a psychiatric disorder (PSY), and 275 patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC). Aβ42, t-tau, and p-tau (at amino acid 181) were measured in CSF by ELISA. Autopsy was obtained in a subgroup of 17 patients. Results: A correct classification of patients with AD (92%) and patients with OD (66%) was accomplished when CSF Aβ42 and p-tau were combined. Patients with progressive supranuclear palsy had normal CSF biomarker values in 90%. Patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease demonstrated an extremely high CSF t-tau at a relatively normal CSF p-tau. CSF AD biomarker profile was seen in 47% of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), 38% in corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and almost 30% in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and vascular dementia (VaD). PSY and SMC patients had normal CSF biomarkers in 91% and 88%. Older patients are more likely to have a CSF AD profile. Concordance between clinical and neuropathologic diagnosis was 85%. CSF markers reflected neuropathology in 94%. Conclusion: CSF Aβ42, t-tau, and p-tau are useful in differential dementia diagnosis. However, in DLB, FTLD, VaD, and CBD, a substantial group exhibit a CSF AD biomarker profile, which requires more autopsy confirmation in the future.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)47-54
Number of pages8
JournalNeurology
Volume78
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

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