Abstract
Background: There is a need to find very early markers for pre-clinical
Alzheimer’s disease as interventions early in the disease process are thought to be most
effective.
Objective: The present study aimed to address the potential relation between
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and reduced cognitive function in a relatively young
cohort of memory clinic patients with subjective cognitive decline.
Methods: 122 patients (mean age 63 years) with subjective cognitive decline
were recruited from two university memory clinics and followed for two years.
Results: The main finding was that the subgroup with objective memory decline
during the study period had significantly higher T-tau at baseline than the group with
improved memory. Baseline CSF variables showed a trend toward more pathological values in
the patients with memory decline compared to those who improved or remained stable. The
baseline memory score of those who declined was significantly better than the baseline
score of those who improved over two years. The general trend for the whole group was
improved memory and executive test scores. There were no differences in cognitive scores
based on CSF quartiles at baseline, nor were there differences in cognitive outcome for
patients with early amnestic mild cognitive impairment versus average cognitive function
at baseline.
Conclusions: The main finding that T-tau rather than amyloid-β was associated
with memory decline do not support the prevailing opinion about the chain of events
assumed to take place in Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, memory decline was not
associated with poor baseline memory score. Thus, a memory cut-off indicating low baseline
memory would not would have identified the declining group.
