title: Tau protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patients with multiple sclerosis in an attack period: Low levels of tau protein may have significance, too.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Axonal loss is the cause of permanent neurologic disability in patients with MS. There are a lot of candidates to be a surrogate biological marker of the axonal loss in MS including tau protein. In the present study, we aimed to assess the levels of the tau protein in patients with MS, and in neurologically healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 41 patients with MS (32 RRMS, 9 SPMS) in this study. All the patients with MS were in an attack period. Control group was consist of 18 neurologically healty patients who underwent spinal anesthesia for orthopedic operations. The CSF tau protein level was measured by double antibody sandwich ELİSA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with RRMS had a higher tau protein level than the patients with SPMS and the control group. The patients with SPMS had a lower tau protein level than the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High levels of tau protein in the CSF of RRMS patients in an attack period may indicate ongoing axonal transection owing to inflammation. Due to the brain atrophy, the patients with SPMS have less neurons to produce tau protein. The low levels of tau protein in the CSF of SPMS patients may denote axonal degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Usak State Hospital, Department of Neurology, Turkey. Electronic address: gorkem.kosehasanogullari@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gorkem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kosehasanogullari
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University, Department of Neurology, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozakbas
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylul University, Department of Neurology, Turkey.
authors.forename: Egemen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Idiman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Multiple sclerosis; Tau protein