Tau protein, A beta 42 and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies

The intra vitam diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is
still based on clinical grounds. So far no technical investigations
have been available to support this diagnosis. As for tau protein
and beta-amyloid((1-42)) (Abeta42), promising results for the
diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease ( AD) have been reported; we
evaluated these markers and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid
(CSF), using a set of commercially available assays, of 71 patients
with DLB, 67 patients with AD and 41 nondemented controls (NDC) for
their differential diagnostic relevance. Patients with DLB showed
significantly lower tau protein values compared to AD but with a
high overlap of values. More prominent differences were observed in
the comparison of DLB patients with all three clinical core
features and AD patients. Abeta42 levels were decreased in the DLB
and AD groups versus NDC, without significant subgroup differences.
S-100B levels were not significantly different between the groups.
Tau protein levels in CSF may contribute to the clinical
distinction between DLB and AD, but the value of the markers is
still limited especially due to mixed pathology. We conclude that
more specific markers have to be established for the
differentiation of these diseases. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG,
Basel.