Cerebrospinal Fluid Aspartate Aminotransferase in Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Dementia

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To evaluate usefulness of cerebrospinal aspartate aminotransferase(AST) as a biologic marker for differentiation of Alzheimer's disease(AD) and Vascular dementia(VD) METHODS: A consecutive series of patients who met either the criteria of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association(NINCDSADRDA) for probable AD or National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences(NINDS-AIREN) criteria for porbable VD were included in the study. Enzymatic determinations in cere brospinal fluid of aspartate aminotransferase in cerebrospinal fluid of aspartate aminotransferase and serologic analysis of apolipoprotein E were performed in 17 patients with AD and in 15 patients with VD. And we compared CSF AST of AD with that of VD. RESULTS: We found no difference of CSF AST concentration between patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Cerebrospinal AST activity also did not correlate with K-MMSE score, serum AST activity, Functional inde-pence measure(FIM) as a ADL(Activity of daily living), and presence of Apolipoprotein E4 allele in AD. Only serum AST of VD shows correlation with CSF AST. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that cerebrospinal AST concentration is not useful maker for differentiation between AD and VD.