Amyloid pathology influences aβ1-42 cerebrospinal fluid levels in dementia with lewy bodies

J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;35(1):137-46. doi: 10.3233/JAD-122176.

Abstract

A significant proportion of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) show Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology like senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), such as amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ1-42), total tau (T-tau), and hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau181P), are linked to the different pathological hallmarks of AD. We set up a study to investigate the influence of AD co-pathology on CSF biomarker concentrations and profiles in autopsy-confirmed DLB. DLB patients with senile plaques showed significantly lower CSF Aβ1-42 concentrations than DLB patients without senile plaques, but not compared to the AD patients. There were no significant differences in CSF T-tau or P-tau181P concentrations between DLB patients with and without neurofibrillary tangles. A correlation was found between the number of APOE ε4 alleles and Aβ1-42 CSF levels in DLB patients with senile plaques. Although the CSF biomarkers Aβ1-42, T-tau, and P-tau181P have an added diagnostic value for the differential dementia diagnosis, concomitant amyloid pathology in DLB limits the use of CSF Aβ1-42 for the differential diagnosis of AD versus DLB.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lewy Body Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Lewy Body Disease / diagnosis*
  • Male
  • Neurofibrillary Tangles / pathology*
  • Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid*

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Biomarkers
  • Peptide Fragments
  • amyloid beta-protein (1-42)