Table 4.
Results of studies on CSF tau and phosphotau levels in PD, other parkinsonian syndromes and controls.
| References | Cases/Controls | Main findings |
|---|---|---|
| Blennow et al., 1995 | 44 AD, 31 controls, 17 VAD, 11 FTD, 15 PDND, major depression | CSF total tau and phosphorylated tau (phosphotau) higher in AD than in controls, VAD, FTD, PDND, and major depression (PDND similar than controls) |
| Molina et al., 1997c | 26 PDND, 25 controls | CSF total tau similar in PD and controls |
| Jansen Steur et al., 1998 | 115 PD (48 with MMSE lower than 25) 15 controls | CSF total and phosphotau similar in PD (not related with MMSE scores) and controls |
| Sjögren et al., 2002 | 19 AD, 14 FTD, 11 ALS, 15 PD, 17 controls | CSF total tau and phosphotau increased in AD compared with FTD (p < 0.001), ALS (p < 0.001), PD (p < 0.001), and controls (p < 0.001) |
| Mollenhauer et al., 2006 | 73 PDD, 23 PDND, 41 controls (non-demented neurological patients) | CSF total tau significantly higher in PDD than in PDND and controls. This observation was most marked (p < 0.05) in a subgroup of patients with PDD carrying the apolipoprotein genotype epsilon3/epsilon3 |
| Parnetti et al., 2008 | 19 DLBD, 18 PDD, 23 AD, 20 PDND, 20 controls | CSF total tau of DLBD patients significantly lower than in AD patients, but twofold to threefold higher than in PDD, PDND, or control subjects |
| CSF total tau levels similar in PDD and PDND | ||
| Phosphotau increased in the AD group only | ||
| Borroni et al., 2008 | 21 PSP, 20 CBD, 44 FTD, 29 AD, 10 PDND, 15 DLBD, 27 controls | CSF tau 33/55 kDa ratio significantly reduced in PSP when compared to controls and to patients with other neurodegenerative conditions |
| CSF tau 33/55 kDa ratio decrease correlated significantly with brainstem atrophy | ||
| Borroni et al., 2009 | 78 patients with neurodegenerative disorders and 26 controls | CSF tau 33/55 kDa ratio significantly decreased in patients with PSP (0.46 ± 0.16) when compared to healthy controls (p = 0.002), AD (P < 0.001), FTD, CBD, PD, and DLBD (values in PD similar to those of controls) |
| Ohrfelt et al., 2009 | 66 AD, 15 PD, 15 DLBD, 55 controls | CSF total tau and phosphotau increased significantly in AD, similar levels in PD, DLBD, and controls |
| Compta et al., 2009b | 20 PDND, 20 PDD, 30 controls patients | CSF total tau and phosphotau higher in PDD than in PDND and controls (P < 0.05). High CSF total tau and phospho-tau were associated with impaired memory and naming |
| Alves et al., 2010 | 109 PDND, 36 controls, 20 mild AD | CSF total tau and phosphotau similar in PD and controls |
| CSF tau did not correlate with cognitive measures | ||
| Montine et al., 2010 | 150 controls (115 >50 years; 24 amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), 49 AD, 49 PD, 11 PDD 62 PD-CIND (cognitive imparment non-demented) | CSF total tau and phospho181-tau significantly increased in AD and aMCI in comparison with the other groups |
| Total tau similar in PDD, PDD and PD-CIND and controls | ||
| Phospho181-tau slightly decreased when compared with controls >50 years | ||
| Přikrylová Vranová et al., 2010 | 32 PD, 30 controls | CSF total tau and total tau/beta-amyloid (1-42) ratio higher in PD than in controls (p = 0.045 and 0.033, respectively) |
| Siderowf et al., 2010 | 45 PD, longitudinal follow-up at least 1 year | No association between CSF total tau and phospo181-tau and cognitive decline |
| Aerts et al., 2011 | 21 PSP, 12 CBD, 28 PD, 49 controls | CSF total tau CBD > PSP > PD = controls |
| CSF phospotau CBD > PSP = PD = controls | ||
| Parnetti et al., 2011 | 38 PD, 32 DLBD, 48 AD, 31 FTD, 32 controls with other neurological diseases (n = 32) | CSF total tau and phosphotau AD > FTD > DLBD = PD = controls |
| Shi et al., 2011 | 137 controls, 126 PD, 50 AD and 32 MSA | CSF total tau and phosphotau AD > controls > PD = MSA |
| Mollenhauer et al., 2011 | Cross-sectional cohort: 51 PD, 29 MSA, 55 DLBD, 62 AD, and 72 neurological controls | CSF total tau AD > DLBD > PD = controls = MSA |
| Mollenhauer et al., 2011 | Validation cohort: 275 PD, 15 MSA, 55 66 DLBD, 8 PSP,22 normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and 23 neurological controls | CSF total tau MSA < DLBD = PD < DLBD < controls |
| Andersson et al., 2011 | 47 DLBD, 17 PDD (n = 17) | CSF total-tau higher in DLBD than in PDD |
| CSF phosphotau similar in DLBD and PDD | ||
| Compta et al., 2011 | 38 PD patients (19 PDD, 19 PDND). All cases were genotyped for a series of tau gene polymorphisms rs1880753, rs1880756, rs1800547, rs1467967, rs242557, rs2471738, and rs7521 | The A-allele rs242557 polymorphism was the only tau gene variant significantly associated with higher CSF tau and phospho-tau levels, under both dominant and dose-response model. This association depended on the presence of dementia, and was only observed in individuals with low (<500 pg/mL) CSF Aβ levels |
| Hall et al., 2012 | 90 PDND, 33 PDD, 70 DLBD, 48 AD, 45 PSP, 48 MSA, 12 CBD, 107 controls | CSF total tau AD > MSA = CBD > PSP = Controls = DLBD > PDND = PDD |
| CSF phosphotau increased in AD, AD > PDD = DLBD = controls = CBD > PDND > PSP = MSA | ||
| Přikrylová Vranová et al., 2012 | 48 PD (17 early-onset PD, 15 tremor dominant, 16 non-tremor-dominant), 19 neurological controls, 18 AD | CSF tau and index tau/amiloid beta42 increased in non-tremor-dominant PD compared with controls, and other PD groups, and siminar to those of AD |
| Jellinger, 2012 | 12 PD (6 tremor-dominant PD and 6 non-tremor-dominant PD), 27 AD, 17 controls | CSF total tau higher in AD compared with the other groups, and higher in tremor-dominant PD compared with non-tremor dominant PD and controls |
| van Dijk et al., 2013a | 52 PD, 50 controls | CSF total tau and phosphotau similar in PD and controls |
| Kang et al., 2013 | 63 PD, 39 controls | CSF total tau and phosphotau181 significantly lower in PD than in controls |
| Zhang et al., 2013 | 403 early stage PD patients enrolled in the DATATOP study | Baseline CSF phosphotau/total tau and phosphotau/amyloid beta significantly and negatively correlated with the rates of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale change |
| Beyer et al., 2013 | 73 PDND, 18 PD with mild cognitive impairment | No associations between CSF total tau and phosphotau and hippocampal atrophy |
| Herbert et al., 2014 | 43 PD, 23 MSA, 30 controls | CSF total tau significantly lower in PD than in MSA, but similar to those of controls |
| CSF phosphotau similar in PD, MSA and controls | ||
| Parnetti et al., 2014a | 71 PD (8 of 44 carriers of a mutation in the beta-glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA1) 45 controls with other neurological disases | CSF total tau and phosphotau similar in PD and controls |
| Parnetti et al., 2014b | 44 PD and 25 controls with other neurological diseases | CSF total tau and phosphotau similar in PD and controls, and unrelated with prognosis and cognitive impairment |
| Vranová et al., 2014 | 27 PDND, 14 PDD, 14 DLBD, 17 AD 24 controls | CSF total tau AD > PDD > PDND > DLBD = controls |
AD, Alzheimer's disease; PD, Parkinson's disease; VAD, vascular dementia; FTD, frontotemporal dementia; PDND, PD non-demented; PD, PD demented; MMSE, MiniMental State Examination; DLBD, diffuse Lewy body disease; PSP, progressive supranuclear palsy; CBD, corticobasal degeneration; MSA, multiple system atrophy; aMCI, Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment; PD-CIND, PD with cognitive imparment non-demented; NPH, normal pressure hydrocephalus.