The cerebrospinal fluid levels of tau, growth-associated protein-43 and soluble amyloid precursor protein correlate in Alzheimer's disease, reflecting a common pathophysiological process

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of tau (total tau), growth-associated prot ein-43 (GAP-43), soluble amyloid precursor protein (sAPP; i.e, total sAPP), and beta -amyloid(42) (A beta (42)) were studied in patients with frontote mporal dementia (FTD; n = 14), Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 47) and vascula r dementia (VAD; n = 16), and in age-matched controls (n = 12). CSF-tau was increased in AD compared to controls and FTD (p < 0.001 for both), CSF-GAP -43 was increased in AD compared to controls (p < 0.05), and both CSF-GAP-4 3 and CSF-sAPP were increased in AD compared to FTD (p < 0.01). Positive an d highly significant correlations were found between CSF-tau and CSF-GAP-43 in all groups and between CSF-tau, CSF-GAP-43 and CSF-sAPP in AD. The corr elations found may reflect a common pathophysiologic process such as axonal degeneration. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG. Basel.