Cerebrospinal Fluid τ Protein in Differential Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia in Chinese population

Abstract

Background: To assess whether biomarker τ protein could differentiate between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search to identify studies on τ protein, patients with AD, and patients with VaD. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) τ protein levels were compared to discriminate among patients with AD, healthy controls, and patients with VaD by a meta-analysis. Results: Patients with AD exhibit significantly higher CSF τ protein levels than healthy controls or patients with VaD in the Chinese population. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that CSF τ protein levels were found to be significantly associated with AD in the Chinese population. Measurement of τ protein could help in attenuating the strict distinction between AD and VaD.