title: Increased cerebrospinal fluid protein tau concentration in neuro-AIDS.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of protein tau in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  CSF tau levels were analyzed in 52 HIV-1-infected patients, 37 of whom had no neurological symptoms, eight had aquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex (ADC), and seven had AIDS with other neurological complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly higher mean CSF tau concentration was found in patients with ADC (380 pg/ml) compared with patients with neuroasymptomatic HIV-1 infection (120 pg/ml, P<0.01) and HIV-negative controls (150 pg/ml, P<0.05). No difference in CSF tau levels was found between patients with ADC and patients with AIDS with other neurological complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CSF tau might be used as a biochemical marker for axonal degeneration and might be of use to identify HIV-1-infected patients with ADC and other neurological complications, but it cannot discriminate between ADC and other neurological complications in HIV-1-infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Internal Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Göteborg University, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, S-416 85, Göteborg, Sweden. lars-magnus.andersson@medfak.gu.se
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blennow
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svennerholm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gisslén
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016875:tau Proteins; D019798:Neopterin