INCREASED TAU-PROTEIN LEVEL IN POSTMORTEM CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID

Microtubule-associated protein tau has been reported to be significant ly increased in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the patients with Alzheim er's disease (AD), which suggests that it is possibly a biological mar ker for the diagnosis of AD. The underlying mechanism of the increased tau level in CSF, however, is not known. In this study, the tau level s were compared between antemortem and postmortem CSF. The postmortem tau levels in CSF were significantly increased in all groups including AD, neurological control, and nondemented control. A striking elevati on of CSF tau was observed during the postmortem change with the nonde mented subjects. These findings may offer some insight into the unders tanding of the mechanism of the increased tau level in CSF with AD and other related disorders.