Heterogeneity of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Profiles in Individuals with Distinct Levels of Cognitive Decline: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background:

Decreased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of the amyloid-β (Aβ), along with increased total (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau protein (P-tau), are widely accepted as core biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Nonetheless, there are a few remaining caveats that still preclude the full incorporation of AD biomarkers into clinical practice.

Objective:

To determine the frequency of clinical-biological mismatches in a clinical sample of older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment.

Methods:

204 participants were enrolled for a cross-sectional assessment and allocated into diagnostic groups: probable AD (n = 60, 29.4%); MCI (n = 84, 41.2%); or normal cognition (NC, n = 60, 29.4%). CSF concentrations of Aβ₄₂, T-tau, and ¹⁸¹Thr-P-tau were determined, and Aβ₄₂/P-tau ratio below 9.53 was used as a proxy of AD pathology. The AT(N) classification was further used as a framework to ascertain the biological evidence of AD.

Results:

The majority (73.7%) of patients in the AD group had the Aβ₄₂/P-tau ratio below the cut-off score for AD, as opposed to a smaller proportion in the MCI (42.9%) and NC (23.3%) groups. In the latter, 21 subjects (35%) were classified as A+, 28 (46.7%) as T+, and 23 (38.3%) as N + . In the AD group, 66.7%of the cases were classified as A+, 78.3%as T+, and 80%as N+.

Conclusion:

Analysis of CSF biomarkers was able to discriminate between AD, MCI, and NC. However, clinical-biological mismatches were observed in a non-negligible proportion of cases.