Abstract
Methods: We analysed the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of the leptomeningeal derived ß trace protein, ß2 microglobulin, and cystatin C.
Results: There was a statistically significant difference of the CSF ß trace protein levels among different groups. Patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) (17.5 (SD 4.3) mg/l) showed significantly lower CSF ß trace protein levels than patients with Alzheimer's disease (23.8 (6.2) mg/l), depression (24.2 (7.3) mg/l), and normal controls (25.3 (4.9) mg/l). To patients with vascular dementia (20.1 (5.6) mg/l) and frontotemporal dementia (21.9 (7.0) mg/l), the difference was not significant. There was no significant difference regarding the CSF and serum concentrations of ß2 microglobulin or cystatin C among the different groups.
Conclusions: We conclude that leptomeningeal dysfunction may be involved in certain types of dementia such as NPH and that reduced CSF ß trace protein levels in patients with NPH may aid in differentiating this difficult to diagnose disorder from other syndromes such as Alzheimer's disease.
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