title: Discriminative and prognostic potential of cerebrospinal fluid phosphoTau/tau ratio and neurofilaments for frontotemporal dementia subtypes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A decreased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-Tau181 to total tau ratio (p/t-tau) is a biomarker for frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP43 inclusions (FTLD-TDP) and for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). CSF light chain neurofilaments (NfL) are increased in ALS. We examined whether CSF p/t-tau and NfL are related to ALS status in FTLD-TDP.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared CSF p/t-tau and NfL levels between patients with FTLD-TDP with ALS (n = 15), FTLD-TDP without ALS (n = 17), FTLD-Tau (n = 6), Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 25), and subjective memory complaints (SMC, n = 24).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apart from FTLD-Tau, all groups differed significantly with increasing p/t-tau ratios from FTLD-TDP with ALS to FTLD-TDP without ALS to AD and SMC. CSF NfL was very high in FTLD-TDP with ALS followed by FTLD-TDP without ALS, AD, and SMC. Both biomarkers correlated with survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CSF p/t-tau ratio and NfL levels are strongly driven by ALS status. These markers, therefore, appear to be more of prognostic than diagnostic significance.
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yolande A L
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Pijnenburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicolaas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Verwey
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wiesje M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: van der Flier
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheltens
authors.affiliation: Neurochemistry Laboratory and Biobank, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Charlotte E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Teunissen
keywords: Biomarker; Cerebrospinal fluid; Disease monitoring; Frontotemporal dementia; Neurofilament; p/t tau ratio