CSF Biomarkers in the Early Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 19;24(10):8976. doi: 10.3390/ijms24108976.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a rapidly growing disease that affects millions of people worldwide, therefore there is an urgent need for its early diagnosis and treatment. A huge amount of research studies are performed on possible accurate and reliable diagnostic biomarkers of AD. Due to its direct contact with extracellular space of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the most useful biological fluid reflecting molecular events in the brain. Proteins and molecules that reflect the pathogenesis of the disease, e.g., neurodegeneration, accumulation of Abeta, hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and apoptosis may be used as biomarkers. The aim of the current manuscript is to present the most commonly used CSF biomarkers for AD as well as novel biomarkers. Three CSF biomarkers, namely total tau, phospho-tau and Abeta42, are believed to have the highest diagnostic accuracy for early AD diagnosis and the ability to predict AD development in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. Moreover, other biomarkers such as soluble amyloid precursor protein (APP), apoptotic proteins, secretases and inflammatory and oxidation markers are believed to have increased future prospects.

Keywords: Abeta; Alzheimer’s disease; CSF; tau.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / pathology
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Brain / pathology
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid

Substances

  • tau Proteins
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Biomarkers
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.