Alzheimer's disease cerebro-spinal fluid biomarkers: A clinical research tool sometimes useful in daily clinical practice of memory clinics for the diagnosis of complex cases

The role of biomarkers in clinical research was recently highlighted in the new criteria for thediagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (total Tau protein, threonine 181 phosphorylated Tau protein and amyloid A beta 1-42 peptide) are associated with cerebral neuropathological lesions observed in Alzheimer's disease (neuronal death, neurofibrillary tangle with abnormal Tau deposits and amyloid plaque). A beta 1-40 amyloid peptide dosage helps to interpret A beta 1-42 results. As suggested in the latest international criteria and the French HAS (Haute Autorite de sante) recommendations, using theses CSF biomarkers should not be systematic but sometimes could be performed to improve confidence about the diagnostic of Alzheimer's disease in young subjects or in complex clinical situations. Future biomarkers actually in development will additionally help in diagnostic process (differential diagnosis) and in prognostic evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases. (C) 2016 Societe Nationale Francaise de Medecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.