Increased CSF α-synuclein levels in Alzheimer's disease: correlation with tau levels

Sylvie Slaets; Eugeen Vanmechelen; Nathalie Le Bastard; Hilde Decraemer; Manu Vandijck; Jean-Jacques Martin; Peter Paul De Deyn; Sebastiaan Engelborghs

doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2013.10.004

Increased CSF α-synuclein levels in Alzheimer's disease: correlation with tau levels

Alzheimers Dement. 2014 Oct;10(5 Suppl):S290-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2013.10.004. Epub 2014 Jan 15.

Authors

Sylvie Slaets¹, Eugeen Vanmechelen², Nathalie Le Bastard¹, Hilde Decraemer², Manu Vandijck², Jean-Jacques Martin³, Peter Paul De Deyn⁴, Sebastiaan Engelborghs⁵

Affiliations

¹ Reference Center for Biological Markers of Dementia (BIODEM), Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
² Innogenetics NV (Miraca/Fujirebio Group), Ghent, Belgium.
³ Biobank, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁴ Reference Center for Biological Markers of Dementia (BIODEM), Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Biobank, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Neurology and Memory Clinic, Hospital Network Antwerp (ZNA) Middelheim and Hoge Beuken, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Research Center, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ Reference Center for Biological Markers of Dementia (BIODEM), Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Neurology and Memory Clinic, Hospital Network Antwerp (ZNA) Middelheim and Hoge Beuken, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: sebastiaan.engelborghs@uantwerpen.be.

PMID: 24439167
DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2013.10.004

Abstract

Background: Given the difficult clinical differential diagnosis between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), growing interest resulted in research on α-synuclein as a potential cerebrospinal fluid biomarker (CSF) for synucleinopathies.

Methods: CSF α-synuclein-140 concentrations were determined by a prototype xMAP™ bead-based assay (Innogenetics NV, Belgium). In addition, CSF amyloid β1-42 (Aβ1-42), total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau181P) levels were determined.

Results: CSF α-synuclein levels were higher in AD patients as compared with cognitively healthy controls (P=.019) and patients with synucleinopathies (P<.001). CSF α-synuclein levels were correlated with T-tau (P<.001) and P-tau181P (P<.001) levels in autopsy-confirmed AD patients. A diagnostic algorithm using α-synuclein and P-tau181P discriminated neuropathologically confirmed AD from DLB patients, resulting in sensitivity and specificity values of 85% and 81%, respectively.

Conclusion: Because CSF α-synuclein levels were significantly higher in AD as compared with synucleinopathies, α-synuclein might have a value as a biomarker for differential dementia diagnosis.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Biomarker; Cerebrospinal fluid; Dementia; Dementia with Lewy bodies; tau; α-Synuclein.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Aged
Algorithms
Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid*
Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis
Alzheimer Disease / pathology
Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid
Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid
Female
Humans
Lewy Body Disease / cerebrospinal fluid
Lewy Body Disease / pathology
Male
Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid
Phosphorylation
Sensitivity and Specificity
alpha-Synuclein / cerebrospinal fluid*
tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid*

Substances

Amyloid beta-Peptides
Biomarkers
MAPT protein, human
Peptide Fragments
SNCA protein, human
alpha-Synuclein
amyloid beta-protein (1-42)
tau Proteins