Wiley, Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 6(8), p. 520-527, 2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.10.003
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BACKGROUND: Low amyloid β42 (Aβ42) and high total tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), reflecting brain deposition of amyloid plaques and tangles. Age and apolipoprotein E allele E4 are two strong risk factors for AD, but few data are still available on their effect on CSF markers in normal aging. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of age on CSF Aβ42, total tau, and p-tau levels in a well-characterized group of cognitively normal subjects. METHODS: CSF Aβ42 levels of 81 subjects (27% female, 53 ± 15.3 years, range: 21-88) were determined with sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; of these, total tau and p-tau levels were measured in 61 (75%) and 42 (52%) cases, respectively. A linear regression analysis between age and CSF markers was carried out on the whole sample and separately in apolipoprotein E allele ɛ4 carriers and noncarriers. RESULTS: The median levels of all markers were significantly different between young (