title: Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for pathological processes in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the rationale behind and the use of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Established as well as new candidate biomarkers will be covered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AD is a complex disorder and the AD brain is characterized by multiple pathological processes, in addition to well-described plaque and tangle diseases. Recent studies have tried to address this by evaluating biomarkers related to features such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, microglial activation and synaptic degeneration, with some positive results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CSF biomarkers total tau, phosphorylated-tau and the 42 amino acid isoform of amyloid beta reflect core elements of AD, that is, axonal degeneration, tangle disease and senile plaques, have been thoroughly tested and provide high diagnostic accuracy in the discrimination of patients with AD as compared with cognitively normal controls. They are also highly predictive of AD with dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment, and have been included in new diagnostic criteria. New biomarkers may add to their diagnostic performance. Other potential fields of use include the monitoring of disease progression or pharmacodynamic drug effects. A common denominator for the candidate biomarkers is the need for validation in further studies to clarify their potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg Mölndal, Sweden. christoffer.rosen@neuro.gu.se
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zetterberg
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D016875:tau Proteins