Cerebrospinal fluid pyruvate levels in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

Increased amounts of CSF pyruvate and lactate were found in patients with A D and patients with vascular dementia (VaD). In the AD group, CSF pyruvate values did not show any overlap with those obtained in controls; within the VaD group, the highest values were observed in possible VaD cases. A signi ficant correlation between the severity of dementia and these biochemical p arameters was also observed in both AD and possible VaD. The similarities o f CSF pyruvate patterns observed in AD and possible VaD patients implicate a neurodegenerative component in this VaD subgroup.