Objective: To review studies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in order to answer the question whether CSF contains a specific marker which can be used to support a clinical diagnosis of AD.
Data sources: Studies identified through an English-language literature search using MEDLINE (1966 to 1990) and a review of bibliographies of relevant articles.
Study selection: All studies on CSF in AD patients were selected. Double publications on the same original data were not included. Otherwise, no particular selection was made.
Data extraction: The diagnostic utility of more than 60 substances, including CSF measures related to classical neurotransmitters, (neuro)peptides, proteins, amino acids, purines, trace elements, and constituents of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, is evaluated. Clinical epidemiological criteria for deciding on the usefulness of new diagnostic methods are emphasized in this analysis.
Data synthesis: Concentrations of some CSF constituents are consistently found to be significantly changed in AD. However, overlap with data of control populations and methodological shortcomings in study design, limit the diagnostic value of all CSF measurements reviewed.
Conclusions: None of the CSF constituents studied so far can be used in support of the diagnosis of AD. However, increased knowledge concerning macromolecular abnormalities in amyloid containing plaques and neurofibrillary tangles makes the outlook for a diagnostic test for AD on CSF promising.