The effects of normal aging and ApoE genotype on the levels of CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease

While cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are of use in the prediction and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease our understanding of the background effects of age and the ApoE genotype is limited. Seventy-eight community-based normal volunteers (mean age 60 +/- 10 years, range 36-86) were examined to determine the relationships between CSF measures of total tau (T-tau), hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau 231), amyloid beta (A beta 42/A beta 40 ratio), and isoprostane (IP) with age and ApoE genotype. The results showed that age by epsilon 4 genotype interactions were found for P-tau231 (beta = 1.82; p < 0.05) and IP (beta = 1.6; p < 0.05). T-tau CSF concentration increased with age. The increasing CSF concentrations of P-tau and IP in epsilon 4 carriers suggest that early tauopathy and oxidative stress may be related to the increased risk for AD. The data also suggest that T-tau changes are more age dependent than A beta changes. The evidence that P-tau231 and IP are the earliest markers for the neuronal damage related to AD awaits longitudinal study. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.