Upcoming candidate cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

Biomark Med. 2012 Aug;6(4):455-76. doi: 10.2217/bmm.12.42.

Abstract

Dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is estimated to reach epidemic proportions by the year 2030. Given the limited accuracy of current AD clinical diagnosis, biomarkers of AD pathologies are currently being sought. Reductions in cerebrospinal fluid levels of β-amyloid 42 (a marker of amyloid plaques) and elevations in tau species (markers of neurofibrillary tangles and/or neurodegeneration) are well-established as biomarkers useful for AD diagnosis and prognosis. However, novel markers for other features of AD pathophysiology (e.g., β-amyloid processing, neuroinflammation and neuronal stress/dysfunction) and for other non-AD dementias are required to improve the accuracy of AD disease diagnosis, prognosis, staging and therapeutic monitoring (theragnosis). This article discusses the potential of several promising novel cerebrospinal fluid analytes, highlights the next steps critical for advancement in the field, and provides a prediction on how the field may evolve in 5-10 years.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism
  • Apolipoproteins / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Biomarkers / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Humans
  • Metabolome
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Peptide Fragments / cerebrospinal fluid
  • tau Proteins / cerebrospinal fluid

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Apolipoproteins
  • Biomarkers
  • MicroRNAs
  • Peptide Fragments
  • amyloid beta-protein (1-42)
  • tau Proteins