Screening for New Biomarkers for Subcortical Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Background: Novel biomarkers are important for identifying as well as differentiating subcortical vascular dementia (SVD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) at an early stage in the disease process. Methods: In two independent cohorts, a multiplex immunoassay was utilized to analyze 90 proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from dementia patients and patients at risk of developing dementia (mild cognitive impairment). Results: The levels of several CSF proteins were increased in SVD and its incipient state, and in moderate- to- severe AD compared with the control group. In contrast, some CSF proteins were altered in AD, but not in SVD. The levels of heart- type fatty acid binding protein (H- FABP) were consistently increased in all groups with dementia but only in some of their incipient states. Conclusions: In summary, these results support the notion that SVD and AD are driven by different pathophysiological mechanisms reflected in the CSF protein profile and that H- FABP in CSF is a general marker of neurodegeneration. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel