Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Clinical Subtypes of Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Background/Aims: Accurate diagnosis of sporadic early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) can be challenging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers may assist in this process. We compared CSF indices between three EOAD subtypes: amnestic, logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA), and posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). Methods: We identified 21 amnestic EOAD, 20 LPA, and 12 PCA patients with CSF data, which included amyloid beta(1-42) (A beta 42), total tau (t-tau), phospho-tau(181) (p-tau), and A beta 42/t-tau index (ATI) levels. Results: A beta 42 and ATI levels were similar across groups, but t-tau and p-tau levels were significantly lower in PCA patients. Conclusions: The A beta 42 and ATI data confirm the commonality of the A beta pathology in EOAD. The lower tau indices in PCA patients may reflect differences in the distribution of neurofibrillary tangles or rates of neurodegeneration. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel