Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurochemical Phenotypes in Vascular Dementias: Original Data and Mini-Review

Abstract

Background/Aims: The study evaluated the patterns of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), amyloid- _ (A _ ) peptides, total tau and phospho-tau among Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementias (VAD). Methods: A _ -SDS-PAGE immunoblot and commercially available ELISAs were applied to the CSF analysis of 52 patients with probable (n = 21) and possible (n = 16) VAD, AD with cerebrovascular disease (n = 15), 30 patients with probable AD and 30 nondemented disease controls. Results: AD and AD with cerebrovascular disease displayed a similar neurochemical phenotype in contrast to nondemented disease controls and probable VAD with regard to tau, p-tau, A _ 1–40 ox and A _ 1–42%. Possible VAD displayed AD-like changes only for A _ 1–40 ox and A _ 1–42%. Conclusion: CSF neurochemical phenotypes sufficiently discriminate probable AD and VAD from each other, but their diagnostic value is limited in case of no clear-cut clinical ap- pearance, such as possible VAD. Conversely, CSF A _ peptides and p-tau levels may help estimate the involvement of ADlike pathophysiological pathways in VAD subgroups