Biological Fingerprints in CSF Differentiate Between Varying Dementias

The two most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. It is important to be able to make the correct diagnosis because the diseases are treated differently.

Vascular dementia is caused by reduced circulation in the small blood vessels of the brain, which can be picked up in brain scans as small infarcts--strokes--or widespread changes in the white matter. The problem is that this small vessel disease presents very similarly to Alzheimer's disease, making it difficult in practice to distinguish between the two.

Maria Bjerke from the Sahlgrenska Academy (Gothenburg, Sweden) at the University of Gothenburg showed that the different forms of dementia are detectable as biochemical changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) long before any clinical symptoms emerge. The results are significant for how the most common age-related cognitive disorders are diagnosed.

As the CSF is in direct contact with the brain, its molecular composition can be expected to reflect the brain's metabolism. Maria Bjerke explained, "Examining the molecular fingerprints in the CSF enables us to determine whether or not there is an ongoing pathological process. Mapping the biochemical differences between the various forms of dementia will help us to understand what caused the disease, which in turn will determine how the disease should be treated."

In July 2011 Prof. Göran Larson, from the department of psychiatry and neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, (Mölndal, Sweden) described the characterization of threonine, serine, and tyrosine glycosylations of amyloid precursor protein/amyloid β-peptides in human CSF from AD patients and controls.

Prof. Larson commented, ''Dementia is a major and growing problem not just for healthcare but for society as a whole since more people are getting older and older, and the single largest risk factor for Alzheimer's is just that--old age," says Larson. "There isn't currently any effective pharmaceutical treatment for Alzheimer's, but if this discovery can contribute to an early diagnosis then medicines that slow the progression of the disease can be tried before the dementia gets too severe.

"If we can link the formation of these molecules to the disease mechanisms behind Alzheimer's, then there's hope that we can also develop new drugs that can affect the course of this serious disease."

With more than 100,000 people affected in Sweden, Alzheimer's is one of the most common diseases of the society. Caused by changes in the brain tissue, the disease predominantly affects the memory and often leads to an earlier death. Alzheimer's disease results in not only considerable suffering for patients and their families, but also in huge costs to society.

Related Links:
Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg
University of Gothenburg