Neurochemical dementia diagnostics in Alzheimer's disease: where are we now and where are we going?

Neurochemical dementia diagnostics (NDD) is a routine laboratory tool used in the diagnostic process for patients with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Currently, two groups of biomarkers analyzed in the cerebrospinal fluid are considered - namely amyloid-beta peptides and Tau proteins - along with the hyperphosphorylated forms of the latter (pTau). Current directions in the development of NDD include the following: search for novel biomarkers with improved analytical or diagnostic performance; optimization of the analysis of the biomarkers already available (e.g., by improved quality control and interlaboratory comparison of results); applications of novel technologies enabling better management of patient samples; and search for biomarkers in the blood. This article presents the state-of-the-art in the field of cerebrospinal fluid-based NDD, and also summarizes some of the hypotheses of how the future development of NDD tools might look.