Increasing CSF phospho-tau levels during cognitive decline and progression to dementia

• BACKGROUND: Little is known about longitudinal changes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers during cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disease progression. OBJECTIVE: To investigate longitudinal changes in CSF biomarkers--total-tau (T-tau), phospho-tau (P-tau) and beta-amyloid (Abeta42)--during cognitive decline. METHODS: Forty memory clinic patients (47.5% females), aged 61.3+/-7.6 (S.D.) years, non-demented at baseline, underwent lumbar puncture and neuropsychological testing at two occasions. Baseline mean MMSE-score was 28.3+/-1.8. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline memory functioning; severely impaired (SIM), moderately impaired (MIM) and no impairment (NIM). RESULTS: There was a significant increase in P-tau in the SIM-group during follow-up, while P-tau in MIM and NIM did not change. Eighty-three percent of the SIM-patients converted to dementia (80% AD), while most MIM- and NIM-patients remained non-demented. T-tau- and Abeta42-levels did not change in any of the memory groups during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Increasing P-tau levels during cognitive decline and conversion to dementia suggest that P-tau may be useful as a longitudinal marker of the neurodegenerative process.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Fysiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Physiology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

Neurobiology

Neurobiologi

Physiology and pharmacology

Fysiologi och farmakologi

Physiology

Fysiologi

Neurology

Neurologi

cerebrospinal-fluid tau

verbal-learning test

alzheimers-disease

follow-up

biochemical marker

lewy bodies

impairment

memory

biomarkers

diagnosis

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)