Session Information
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Session Title: Cognition and Cognitive Disorders
Session Time: 1:15pm-2:45pm
Location: Agora 3 East, Level 3
Objective: To define the association of different cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers reflecting Aß and Tau pathology or synaptic function with motor and/or cognitive function in Parkinson’ disease (PD).
Background: Parenchymal Aß pathology has been reported as a risk marker for cognitive decline in PD. Moreover, Tau and synuclein pathologies are also associated with cognitive impairment in PD, but seem to also influence severity of motor symptoms. For recently discussed CSF markers, such as neurogranin or BACE 1, the association to clinical symptoms in PD is unclear.
Method: CSF of 225 non-demented and 11 demented PD patients taking part in the “Aß1-42 in CSF as risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in PD” (ABC-PD) study was analyzed. In all patients, a comprehensive clinical battery, including cognitive and motor assessments, was applied. CSF protein analysis was done by ELISA and included Aß1-42, Aß1-40, Aß1-38, p-Tau181, t-Tau, synuclein, neurogranin, and BACE 1. Regression analyses including the motor score of the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as independent variables, and age and sex as confounders, were used to define the association of motor and cognitive impairment with each biomarker.
Results: Tau markers or its ratios were exclusively associated with the MoCA score (p<0.05): p-Tau181, t-Tau; p-Tau181/Aß1-42, t-Tau/Aß1-42, t-Tau/Synuclein, p-Tau181/Synuclein, Synuclein+BASE 1/t-Tau + p-Tau181. However, association between t-Tau values and the MoCA was weak (p=0.04) and vanished after exclusion of demented PD patients in the sample. In contrast all other significant associations between biomarkers and the MoCA were not affected by exclusion of the demented PD group. The Aß1-42*1000/Aß1-38/p-Tau181 ratio (p<0.007) and the p-Tau181/t-Tau ratio (p=0.36) solely predicted UPDRS-III scores. CSF levels of neurogranin and BACE 1 did reflect neither cognitive nor motor function in our sample.
Conclusion: In our cohort, tau pathology primarily affected cognitive but not severity of motor impairment in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
I. Liepelt-Scarfone, H. Vanderstichele, W. Maetzler, C. Francois, C. Schulte, M. Timmers, L. van Nueten, G. Salvadore, K. Brockmann, T. Gasser, J. Streffer, E. Stoops, D. Berg. Tau pathology is associated to cognitive and not motor function in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2019; 34 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/tau-pathology-is-associated-to-cognitive-and-not-motor-function-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2019 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/tau-pathology-is-associated-to-cognitive-and-not-motor-function-in-parkinsons-disease/