Objective: To define cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Amyloid-beta 1-42 (Aß1-42-), total (h-) and phosphorylated (p-)Tau in a large cohort of non-demented Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients; to establish the proportion of levels that are out of normative range, and to assess the clinical profile of PD patients with CSF levels indicative of parenchymal Aß pathology.

Background: Parenchymal Aß pathology is relatively common among older adults and PD patients, and may influence progression of cognitive dysfunction particularly in PD.

Methods: Data of 220 non-demented PD patients taking part in the “Aß1-42 in CSF as risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in PD” (ABC-PD) study was analyzed. CSF analysis included levels of Aß1-42-, h- and p-Tau, also expressed as the parenchymal Aß probability (PAP) score. A comprehensive clinical battery including cognitive, motor and non-motor tests was applied. Patients were stratified according to their CSF profile of high versus low CSF burden of Aß1-42 (<600 vs. ≥600), h-Tau (>450 vs. ≤450) and p-Tau (≥60 vs. <60). T-test and chi-square statistics for group comparison of demographics and motor assessment, as well as ANOVA/ANCOVA for cognitive and non-motor variables correcting for confounders, were used.

Results: Prevalence of pathological CSF levels of Aß1-42 was 37%, of high h- and p-Tau values 9.7% and 17.5%. Age and age of PD onset was lower in the groups with both higher burden of CSF h- and p-Tau. PD patients with h-Tau values >450 showed more impairment on tests assessing memory performance (20% vs. 5.2%, p<0.05) and had lower total scores in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, p=0.02) than patients with lower h-Tau values. A p-Tau value ≥60 was associated with impaired visual-constructive skills. In contrast the demographic, motor, cognitive and non-motor profile of PD patients with high and low CSF Aß1-42 values did not differ. The PAP-score was neither associated with the cognitive nor with the non-motor assessments in PD.

Conclusions: In this cross-sectional study with non-demented PD patients, pathological CSF h- and p-Tau levels but not Aß1-42 levels are associated with demographic and cognitive parameters. These results argue for a particular potential of CSF Tau levels to predict cognitive decline in this disease. This hypothesis will be tested during a follow-up assessment.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-clinical-profile-associated-to-amyloid-beta-42-and-tau-cerebrospinal-fluid-levels-in-non-demented-pd-patients/