Neurochemical dementia diagnostics: assays in CSF and blood

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008 Nov:258 Suppl 5:44-9. doi: 10.1007/s00406-008-5005-3.

Abstract

In this review, current neurochemical dementia diagnostics (NDD) procedures are presented with a focus on biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood: amyloid beta peptides, tau protein, and its phosphorylated form (pTau). CSF analysis is an increasingly important tool for early and differential diagnosis of dementia syndromes. Although lumbar puncture is a mildly invasive procedure with a low incidence of complications, establishing blood assays capable of reliably measuring NDD biomarkers is an aim of several studies worldwide.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / blood
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Animals
  • Dementia* / blood
  • Dementia* / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Dementia* / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Neurochemistry*
  • Phosphorylation
  • tau Proteins / blood
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • tau Proteins