Phosphorylated tau as a candidate biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
An increasingly varied clinical spectrum of cases with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been identified, and objective criteria for clinical trial eligibility are necessary.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of ALS.


METHODS
A case-control study including 51 individuals with ALS and 23 individuals with a disorder associated with a 4-repeat tauopathy was conducted at an academic medical center.


METHODS
The CSF level of tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (ptau) and ratio of ptau to total tau (ttau).


RESULTS
Using a cross-validation prediction procedure, we found significantly reduced CSF levels of ptau and the ptau:ttau ratio in ALS relative to 4-repeat tauopathy and to controls. In the validation cohort, the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve for the ptau:ttau ratio was 0.916, and the comparison of ALS with 4-repeat tauopathy showed 92.0% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity. Correct classification based on a low CSF ptau:ttau ratio was confirmed in 18 of 21 cases (86%) with autopsy-proved or genetically determined disease. In patients with available measures, ptau:ttau in ALS correlated with clinical measures of disease severity, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (n = 51) and ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (n = 42), and regression analyses related the ptau:ttau ratio to magnetic resonance imaging (n = 10) evidence of disease in the corticospinal tract and white matter projections involving the prefrontal cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
The CSF ptau:ttau ratio may be a candidate biomarker to provide objective support for the diagnosis of ALS.
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Murray
M
Grossman
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Lauren
L
Elman
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Leo
L
McCluskey
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Corey T
CT
McMillan
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Ashley
A
Boller
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
John
J
Powers
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Katya
K
Rascovsky
Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
William
W
Hu
Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Les
L
Shaw
Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia3Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medi.
David J
DJ
Irwin
Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Virginia M-Y
VM
Lee
Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John Q
JQ
Trojanowski
D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D015415:Biomarkers; D016875:tau Proteins