Differential levels of alpha-synuclein, beta-amyloid42 and tau in CSF between patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is made on the basis of consensus criteria; however, the sensitivity of the criteria is relatively low. There are no generally accepted biomarkers to distinguish DLB from other dementias. Here the utility of quantification of alpha-synuclein, beta-amyloid42 (Abeta42) and tau in the CSF of patients with DLB, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias was examined.

METHODS:

86 patients were divided into three age and sex matched groups: DLB (n=34), AD (n=31) and other dementias (n=21). Two patients with alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) duplication were also examined. Abeta and tau were quantified using an ELISA kit. A modified sandwich ELISA was developed which enables the sensitive quantification of CSF alpha-synuclein.

RESULTS:

Total and phosphorylated tau levels as well as Abeta40/42 and tau/Abeta42 ratios were significantly higher in AD patients than in patients with DLB (p<0.01) and other dementias (p<0.01). CSF alpha-synuclein levels in DLB patients were significantly lower than those in patients with AD (p<0.05) and other dementias (p<0.01). CSF alpha-synuclein level correlated with the Abeta42 level in DLB patients (p=0.01, r=0.43). Two patients with SNCA duplication exhibited relatively low levels of CSF alpha-synuclein.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study suggests that reduced levels of CSF alpha-synuclein in DLB may reflect the accumulation of alpha-synuclein with Lewy pathology in the brain and that quantification of CSF alpha-synuclein helps in the differentiation of DLB from AD and other dementias in combination with Abeta42 and tau analysis.

• Authors: Kensaku Kasuga, Takayoshi Tokutake, Atsushi Ishikawa, Tsuyoshi Uchiyama, Takahiko Tokuda, Osamu Onodera, Masatoyo Nishizawa, Takeshi Ikeuchi
• Journal: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry) Vol. 81 Issue 6 Pg. 608-10 (Jun 2010) ISSN: 1468-330X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20522869 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Amyloid beta-Peptides
• Peptide Fragments
• alpha-Synuclein
• amyloid beta-protein (1-42)
• tau Proteins

Topics

• Aged
• Alzheimer Disease (cerebrospinal fluid, epidemiology, genetics)
• Amyloid beta-Peptides (cerebrospinal fluid, genetics)
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Humans
• Lewy Body Disease (cerebrospinal fluid, epidemiology, genetics)
• Male
• Peptide Fragments (cerebrospinal fluid, genetics)
• Phenotype
• alpha-Synuclein (cerebrospinal fluid, genetics)
• tau Proteins (cerebrospinal fluid, genetics)