THE LEVEL OF CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID TAU-CORRELATES WITH NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

WE measured tau concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples ta ken during the lifetime of 43 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) a nd correlated these values with neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) scores as well as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression as a marker of astrocytosis in the brain post-mortem. The CSF tan values showed a positive correlation with neocortical NET scores (r = 0.44, P < 0.005 ), while GFAP immunoreactivity did not correlate with CSF tau. This st udy reveals a high variation in CSF tau Values in patients with neurop athologically confirmed AD (range 194-1539 pg/ml) and indicates that h igh CSF tau values in the late phase of Alzheimer's disease predict se vere neurodegeneration as evidenced by increased NFT scores.