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Cerebrospinal fluid α-synuclein contributes to the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Shi M, Tang L, Toledo JB, Ginghina C, Wang H, Aro P, Jensen PH, Weintraub D et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2018-03-28
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Introduction The ability of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (amyloid β peptide 1-42, total tau, and phosphorylated tau) to discriminate AD from related disorders is limited. Biomarkers for other concomitant pathologies (e.g., CSF α-synuclein [α-syn] for Lewy body pathology) may be needed to further improve the differential diagnosis. Methods CSF total α-syn, phosphorylated α-syn at Ser129, and AD CSF biomarkers were evaluated with Luminex immunoassays in 367 participants, followed by validation in 74 different neuropathologically confirmed cases.
Key findings
- Biomarkers for other concomitant pathologies (e.g., CSF α-synuclein [α-syn] for Lewy body pathology) may be needed to further improve the differential diagnosis.
- Methods CSF total α-syn, phosphorylated α-syn at Ser129, and AD CSF biomarkers were evaluated with Luminex immunoassays in 367 participants, followed by validation in 74 different neuropathologically confirmed cases.
- Results CSF total α-syn, when combined with amyloid β peptide 1-42 and either total tau or phosphorylated tau, improved the differential diagnosis of AD versus frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disorders, or other neurological disorders.
- The diagnostic accuracy of the combined models attained clinical relevance (area under curve ∼0.9) and was largely validated in neuropathologically confirmed cases.
Why it matters
Adding cerebrospinal fluid α-synuclein to standard Alzheimer biomarkers improved the ability to tell Alzheimer's disease apart from related disorders in 367 participants, with validation in 74 neuropathologically confirmed cases. This is a diagnostic study and does not address treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants367
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 367 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 | 4 / 7 | Cited 42 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.2 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.5× 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 8 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jing Zhang: h-index 72 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29604263) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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APA 7th
Shi, M., Tang, L., Toledo, J. B., Ginghina, C., Wang, H., Aro, P., et al. (2018). Cerebrospinal fluid α-synuclein contributes to the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.015
Vancouver
Shi M, Tang L, Toledo JB, Ginghina C, Wang H, Aro P, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid α-synuclein contributes to the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.015. PMID: 29604263.
BibTeX
@article{shi2018-29604263,
author = {Shi, M. and Tang, L. and Toledo, J. B. and Ginghina, C. and Wang, H. and Aro, P. and Jensen, P. H. and Weintraub, D. and others},
title = {{Cerebrospinal fluid α-synuclein contributes to the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.015},
pmid = {29604263},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.015}
}
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