title: Diagnostic value of CSF biomarker profile in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have been increasingly studied in dementia clinical and differential diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed levels of total tau protein (tauT), tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (tau P-181), and beta-amyloid1-42 (A beta 42) in 34 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), 76 Alzheimer disease (AD) cases, and 93 controls (CTRL). Double sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Innogenetics) were used for measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total tau was significantly increased and A beta 42 decreased in FTLD and AD patients as compared with CTRL. CSF tau P-181 levels were significantly increased only in AD. The tauT/A beta 42 ratio successfully discriminated FTLD from CTRL with a 86.7% specificity and 80.6% sensitivity, whereas the tauT alone was more specific (95.7%) but less sensitive (64.75%). For the discrimination of FTLD from AD, tauT/A beta 42 ratio was better (90.3% sensitivity and 64.5% specificity) compared with the other biomarkers alone or in combination, whereas tau P-181 was less sensitive but more specific (68.4% and 85.7%, respectively). Subtype analysis revealed that the most AD-like profile of biomarkers were observed in FTLD with motor neuron signs, whereas the most non-AD profile were observed in patients with primary progressive aphasia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combined analysis of CSF biomarkers may be useful for the best possible antemortem discrimination of FTLD from AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Athens National University, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece. ekapaki@med.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kapaki
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Paraskevas
authors.forename: Sokratis G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonakis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalfakis
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zalonis
authors.forename: Demetris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vassilopoulos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003704:Dementia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D016875:tau Proteins