Alzheimer's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alzheimer's Disease, including details on diagnosis, memory loss, heredity, treatment, medication.

Cerebrospinal fluid TAU protein and amyloid beta42 in mild cognitive impairment: prediction of progression to Alzheimer's disease and correlation with the neuropsychological examination.

Ivanoiu A, Sindic CJ

The Neurology Department Memory Clinic and Neurochemistry Laboratory, Saint Luc University Hospital, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. ivanoiu@nefy.ucl.ac.be

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TAU protein and Amyloid beta42 were able to distinguish between 28 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients and both 38 normal aged and 17 anxious and depressed elderly patients, with good sensitivity/specificity when the two measures were combined. These biological markers are independent predictors of the presence of Alzheimer disease (AD), in addition to memory performance. Low Amyloid beta42 level was predictor of a fast progression of MCI patients to full blown dementia. The TAU protein level tended to correlate with memory performance, presumably in relation with the extent of the bilateral medio-temporal damage in early AD.

Published 4 April 2005 in Neurocase, 11(1): 32-9.
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