CSF amyloid-β peptides in neuropathologically diagnosed dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease

J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;24(2):383-91. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2011-101551.

Abstract

Appropriate treatment of dementia requires biomarkers that provide an exact and differential diagnosis. We recently presented differentially expressed amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide patterns in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as biomarker candidates for neurochemical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The objective of the present study was to investigate CSF Aβ peptide patterns in both neuropathologically and clinically defined diagnostic groups of AD and DLB. Using the quantitative Aβ-SDS-PAGE/immunoblot, we analyzed CSF samples of neuropathologically defined patients with AD (definite AD, dAD; n = 11) and DLB (definite, dDLB; n = 12). We compared absolute and relative quantities of CSF Aβ-peptides with a larger cohort of clinically diagnosed patients with probable AD (pAD; n = 71), probable DLB (pDLB; n = 32), and non-demented controls (NDC; n = 71). Each neuropathologically and clinically defined diagnostic group showed a similar relative distribution of CSF Aβ-peptides (Aβ(1-X%)). Aβ(1-42%) was lowered in dAD compared to NDC (p = 1.6 × 10⁻⁷, but did not differ between dAD and pAD. Aβ(1-40ox%) was elevated in dDLB as compared to NDC (p = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵, but did not differ between dDLB and pDLB. Thus, we were able to confirm previous results on Aβ peptide patterns in neuropathologically characterized patients with AD and DLB. Our results underline the usefulness of the CSF Aβ(1-42%) and Aβ(1-40ox%) as diagnostic biomarkers for AD and DLB, respectively.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / classification
  • Brain Chemistry / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lewy Body Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Lewy Body Disease / pathology*
  • Male
  • Mental Status Schedule
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Retrospective Studies
  • alpha-Synuclein / cerebrospinal fluid
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • alpha-Synuclein
  • tau Proteins