Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers measured by Elecsys assays compared to amyloid imaging.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Levels of amyloid ß peptide 42 (Aß42), total tau, and phosphorylated tau-181 are well-established cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, but variability in manual plate-based assays has limited their use. We examined the relationship between CSF biomarkers, as measured by a novel automated immunoassay platform, and amyloid positron emission tomography. METHODS: CSF samples from 200 individuals underwent separate analysis for Aß42, total tau, and phosphorylated tau-181 with automated Roche Elecsys assays. Aß40 was measured with a commercial plate-based assay. Positron emission tomography with Pittsburgh Compound B was performed less than 1 year from CSF collection. RESULTS: Ratios of CSF biomarkers (total tau/Aß42, phosphorylated tau-181/Aß42, and Aß42/Aß40) best discriminated Pittsburgh Compound B-positive from Pittsburgh Compound B-negative individuals. DISCUSSION: CSF biomarkers and amyloid positron emission tomography reflect different aspects of Alzheimer's disease brain pathology, and therefore, less-than-perfect correspondence is expected. Automated assays are likely to increase the utility of CSF biomarkers.