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Cerebrospinal Fluid Tau Protein Levels in Demented and Nondemented Alcoholics
Author(s) -
Morikawa Yuichi,
Arai Hiroyuki,
Matsushita Sachio,
Kato Motoichiro,
Higuchi Susumu,
Miura Masakazu,
Kawakami Hisako,
Higuchi Makoto,
Okamura Nobuyuki,
Tashiro Manabu,
Matsui Toshifumi,
Sasaki Hidetada
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1999.tb04156.x
Subject(s) - cerebrospinal fluid , medicine , tau protein , pathology , psychology , alzheimer's disease , disease
The tau protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF‐tau) were examined in 27 patients with alcohol dependence (20 demented and 7 nondemented), 36 age and dementia severity‐matched patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 23 age‐matched normal control subjects. The CSF‐tau levels in the demented alcoholic group (alcohol‐induced organic brain disorders, 25.4 ± 10.2 pg/ml) was significantly lower ( p < 0.0001) than that in the AD group (96.1 ± 53.3 pg/ml), but not significantly different from that in the nondemented alcoholics (18.1 ± 10.2 pg/ml) or the controls (19.2 ± 12.9 pg/ml). Using a 44.9 pg/ml as a cut‐off value (mean + 2 SD of the normal control group), only one patient with alcohol‐induced organic brain disorders exceeded the value, whereas 3 of 36 of the AD group showed CSF‐tau levels less than this level. These findings suggest that alcohol‐induced organic brain disorders are a group of dementias that are characterized by normal CSF‐tau levels, and that the CSF examination for tau in combination with other clinical findings may help in differentiating alcohol‐induced organic brain disorders from AD.