Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Dementia Patients with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Objective To study the changes of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Methods Levels of amyloid proteinβ (Aβ42, Aβ40) and phosphorylated Tau-protein (P-tau) in CSF and ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 were tested in 5 cases with CAA dementia and 20 cases with Alzheimer's disease collected at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2001 to March 2011. Results The levels of Aβ42, Aβ40, and P-tau in CSF and ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 were (660.4±265.2) ng/L, (7111.0±1033.4) ng/L, (71.8±51.5) ng/L, and 0.077±0.033, respectively in CAA dementia and (663.6±365.6) ng/L, (5115.0±2931.1) ng/L, (47.7±38.8) ng/L, and 0.192±0.140, respectively in Alzheimer's disease patients. There were no statistically significant differences between CAA dementia and Alzheimer's disease in terms of these CSF biomarkers (allP>0.05). Conclusion Measurements of CSF biomarkers may not be helpful in differential diagnosis of CAA and Alzheimer's disease.