CSF tau correlates with the degree of cortical involvement in E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau was found to correlate with disease severity and cognitive status in E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD) patients. The objective of the present study was to test whether tau levels in the CSF also correlate with the disease burden as reflected by the degree of cortical involvement in DWI MRI. Forty-four consecutive E200K fCJD patients (25 males, mean age 58.6±7.5, range 48-75 years) were recruited to the study and had a CSF tau examination as well as measurements of the extent of the cortical involvement in the DWI axial MRI. Correlation was tested using Pearson test. A significant correlation (r=0.617 p<0.0001) was found between CSF tau levels and the extent of cortical involvement. This correlation between tau levels and the disease burden reinforce the notion that tau can be used as a biomarker reflecting the extent of disease in patients with E200K fCJD.

Keywords: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; Disease severity; E200K mutation; MRI; Tau protein.