New laboratory markers in diagnosis of alzheimer dementia

Abstract Objectives: The aim of our work was to assess the role of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C in diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Methods: The levels of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C were assessed in a set of 79 patients with ND (38 men and 41 women; aged 22–90 years; mean, 61.6 ± 15.6 years) and in a control group of 79 subjects with a healthy central nervous system (38 men and 41 women; aged 20–91 years; mean, 61.5 ± 15.1 years). Results: When compared with the subjects in the control group, a statistically significant decrease in tau protein levels was found in patients with ND, an increase in tau protein levels in patients with AD and an increase in cystatin C cerebrospinal fluid/serum index in the ND + AD group. Discussion: Our work only confirmed the previously reported results in part. Although tau protein seems to be a quite reliable marker of AD, the role of beta amyloid in AD diagnosis remains at the least questionable. In ...