Tau and p-tau as CSF biomarkers in dementia: a meta-analysis
-
Argonde C. van Harten
,
Maartje I. Kester
Abstract
Background: To evaluate the value of total tau (tau) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the differential diagnosis of dementia, more specifically: dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), vascular dementia (VaD), and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD).
Methods: A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies on tau and p-tau in DLB, FTLD, VaD and CJD. Tau concentrations were compared to healthy controls and to subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) using random effect meta-analysis. Outcome measures were Cohen's delta, sensitivity and specificity.
Results: Compared to controls, tau concentrations are moderately elevated in DLB, FTLD and VaD, while p-tau concentrations are only slightly elevated in DLB and not elevated in FTLD and VaD. Compared to AD, lower tau concentrations differentiated DLB with a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 90%, FTLD with sensitivity and specificity of 74%, and VaD with a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 86%. Relative to AD, lower p-tau values differentiated FTLD with a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 83%, and VaD with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 78%. CJD is characterized by extremely elevated tau concentrations with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 98% vs. AD.
Conclusions: CSF tau concentrations in DLB, FTLD and VaD are intermediate between controls and AD patients. Overlap with both controls and AD patients results in insufficient diagnostic accuracy, and the development of more specific biomarkers for these disorders is needed. CJD is characterized by extremely increased tau values, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity that exceeds 90%.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases
- Reviews
- CSF biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases
- Tau and p-tau as CSF biomarkers in dementia: a meta-analysis
- Amyloid β (Aβ) and phospho-tau (p-tau) as diagnostic biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease
- The effect of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype on biomarkers of amyloidogenesis, tau pathology and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease
- Advanced glycation endproducts as gerontotoxins and biomarkers for carbonyl-based degenerative processes in Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease – the continuing search for biomarkers
- α-Synuclein in Parkinson disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
- S100B protein in neurodegenerative disorders
- Inflammatory and structural biomarkers in acute traumatic spinal cord injury
- Homocysteine: a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases
- Editorial
- ROMA or death: advances in epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis
- Review
- Laboratory testing for the antiphospholipid syndrome: making sense of antiphospholipid antibody assays
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Quality indicators and specifications for key analytical-extranalytical processes in the clinical laboratory. Five years’ experience using the Six Sigma concept
- Determination of oxidative and occupational stress in palliative care workers
- Effect of cigarette smoking on plasma homocysteine concentrations
- Erythrocyte membrane protein analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate-capillary gel electrophoresis in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis
- Evaluation of hematological parameters on admission for the prediction of 7-day in-hospital mortality in a large trauma cohort
- Platelet function testing in hirudin and BAPA anticoagulated blood
- Evaluation of the iChem® Velocity™ Urine Chemistry Analyzer in a hospital routine laboratory
- Crystalluria: prevalence, different types of crystals and the role of infrared spectroscopy
- Cancer Diagnostics
- The ROMA (Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm) for estimating the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women presenting with pelvic mass: is it really useful?
- Evaluation of the accuracy of serum human epididymis protein 4 in combination with CA125 for detecting ovarian cancer: a prospective case-control study in a Korean population
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- APOA5 −1131T/C polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease in a Chinese population: a meta-analysis
- Assessment of the nickel-albumin binding assay for diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome
- Letters to the Editor
- AGER gene -374T>A (rs1800624) polymorphism is not associated with the severity of non-diabetic coronary artery disease in Han Chinese
- Some lessons learned from using medium scale genotyping techniques in pharmacogenetic research
- Improved neopterin ELISA kit: a good compromise between HPLC results and clinical practice
- Cross-reactivity of 25-hydroxy vitamin D2 from different commercial immunoassays for 25-hydroxy vitamin D: an evaluation without spiked samples
- Modulated human maternal and premature neonatal erythrocyte membrane enzyme activities in relation to the mode of delivery: in vitro restoration with L-Carnitine
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases
- Reviews
- CSF biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases
- Tau and p-tau as CSF biomarkers in dementia: a meta-analysis
- Amyloid β (Aβ) and phospho-tau (p-tau) as diagnostic biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease
- The effect of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype on biomarkers of amyloidogenesis, tau pathology and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease
- Advanced glycation endproducts as gerontotoxins and biomarkers for carbonyl-based degenerative processes in Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease – the continuing search for biomarkers
- α-Synuclein in Parkinson disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
- S100B protein in neurodegenerative disorders
- Inflammatory and structural biomarkers in acute traumatic spinal cord injury
- Homocysteine: a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases
- Editorial
- ROMA or death: advances in epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis
- Review
- Laboratory testing for the antiphospholipid syndrome: making sense of antiphospholipid antibody assays
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Quality indicators and specifications for key analytical-extranalytical processes in the clinical laboratory. Five years’ experience using the Six Sigma concept
- Determination of oxidative and occupational stress in palliative care workers
- Effect of cigarette smoking on plasma homocysteine concentrations
- Erythrocyte membrane protein analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate-capillary gel electrophoresis in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis
- Evaluation of hematological parameters on admission for the prediction of 7-day in-hospital mortality in a large trauma cohort
- Platelet function testing in hirudin and BAPA anticoagulated blood
- Evaluation of the iChem® Velocity™ Urine Chemistry Analyzer in a hospital routine laboratory
- Crystalluria: prevalence, different types of crystals and the role of infrared spectroscopy
- Cancer Diagnostics
- The ROMA (Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm) for estimating the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women presenting with pelvic mass: is it really useful?
- Evaluation of the accuracy of serum human epididymis protein 4 in combination with CA125 for detecting ovarian cancer: a prospective case-control study in a Korean population
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- APOA5 −1131T/C polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease in a Chinese population: a meta-analysis
- Assessment of the nickel-albumin binding assay for diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome
- Letters to the Editor
- AGER gene -374T>A (rs1800624) polymorphism is not associated with the severity of non-diabetic coronary artery disease in Han Chinese
- Some lessons learned from using medium scale genotyping techniques in pharmacogenetic research
- Improved neopterin ELISA kit: a good compromise between HPLC results and clinical practice
- Cross-reactivity of 25-hydroxy vitamin D2 from different commercial immunoassays for 25-hydroxy vitamin D: an evaluation without spiked samples
- Modulated human maternal and premature neonatal erythrocyte membrane enzyme activities in relation to the mode of delivery: in vitro restoration with L-Carnitine
