Home › Research › Cognitive tests and assessment
Cerebrospinal fluid alpha-synuclein in neurodegenerative disorders-a marker of synapse loss?
Ohrfelt A, Grognet P, Andreasen N, Wallin A, Vanmechelen E, Blennow K, Zetterberg H.. Neuroscience letters, 2008-11-12
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
The association of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) neuropathology with Parkinson's disease (PD) and several related disorders has led to an intense research effort to develop cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)- or blood-based alpha-syn biomarkers for these types of diseases. Recent studies show that alpha-syn is present in CSF and possible to measure using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Here, we describe a novel ELISA that allows for quantification of alpha-syn in CSF down to 50pg/mL.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ohrfelt, A., Grognet, P., Andreasen, N., Wallin, A., Vanmechelen, E., Blennow, K., et al. (2009). Cerebrospinal fluid alpha-synuclein in neurodegenerative disorders-a marker of synapse loss? Neuroscience letters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.015
Vancouver
Ohrfelt A, Grognet P, Andreasen N, Wallin A, Vanmechelen E, Blennow K, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid alpha-synuclein in neurodegenerative disorders-a marker of synapse loss? Neuroscience letters. 2009. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.015. PMID: 19022350.
BibTeX
@article{ohrfelt2009-19022350,
author = {Ohrfelt, A. and Grognet, P. and Andreasen, N. and Wallin, A. and Vanmechelen, E. and Blennow, K. and Zetterberg, H.},
title = {{Cerebrospinal fluid alpha-synuclein in neurodegenerative disorders-a marker of synapse loss?}},
journal = {Neuroscience letters},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.015},
pmid = {19022350},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.015}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Recent studies show that alpha-syn is present in CSF and possible to measure using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
- Here, we describe a novel ELISA that allows for quantification of alpha-syn in CSF down to 50pg/mL.
- The diagnostic value of the test was assessed using CSF samples from 66 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 15PD patients, 15 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and 55 cognitively normal controls.
- PD and DLB patients and controls displayed similar CSF alpha-syn levels.
Why it matters
This study describes a new ELISA test for measuring alpha-synuclein in cerebrospinal fluid and compared levels across Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and controls. It is a laboratory test study and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
Study details
- Participants15
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neuroscience letters) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neuroscience Letters: journal h-index 267 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 15 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 198 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.4 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 10 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Henrik Zetterberg: h-index 196 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19022350) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
5 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Cognitive tests and assessment
Also tagged “cerebrospinal”
821 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cerebrospinal”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 821 tagged studies.