title: Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for disease stage and intensity in cognitively impaired patients.
abstract: Biomarkers to monitor the degenerative process in Alzheimer's disease would be of great value. We examined the relation between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau (T-tau), phospho-tau (P-tau) and Abeta42 and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain atrophy. CSF was taken at baseline and MRI at baseline and at 16 months follow-up. At baseline, statistically significantly lower Abeta42 were found with lower brain volume (r=0.55; P<0.0001) and larger ventricular volume (r=-0.53; P<0.001). In contrast, statistically significantly higher T-tau (r=0.47; P<0.001) and P-tau (r=0.41; P=0.005) were found with more marked ventricular widening during the follow-up period. These results suggest that Abeta42 in CSF reflects the stage of the disease, with lower CSF levels as the disease progresses, while T-tau and P-tau reflect the intensity of the disease process, with higher CSF-levels with a more rapid progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Family Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
authors.forename: Lars-Olov
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Wahlund
authors.forename: Kaj
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blennow
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D001284:Atrophy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D016875:tau Proteins