Amyloid Aβ40 CSF concentrations correlate to frontal lobe atrophy in frontotemporal dementia

We wanted to further study amyloid A beta protein alterations in non-AD neurodegenerative diseases. Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of the amyloid A beta protein with 40 (A beta(40)) and 42 (A beta(42)) amino acid residues were measured in eleven patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A beta(40) and A beta(42) concentrations were related to the degree of frontal lobe atrophy as assessed with MRI volumetry. A beta(40) concentrations showed a statistically significant linear correlation with degree of frontal lobe atrophy (r=-0.77, p<0.02). Similar results have not been found in previous studies of CSF A beta(40) concentrations and atrophy in patients with AD which suggest that the role of A beta(40) differs between the pathological processes of FTD and AD. NeuroReport 11:287-290 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.