CSF tau proteins correlate with an atypical clinical presentation in dementia with Lewy bodies

A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) profile, that is, decreased amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ42) and increased total tau protein (t-tau) and/or phosphorylated tau at threonine-181 (p-tau),1 has been identified in a substantial number of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients, and it has been related to a more rapid cognitive decline.1 We investigated the association between AD CSF biomarkers and DLB core clinical features to better understand in vivo how AD pathology influences DLB clinical presentation. We included 171 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of probable DLB2 3 from the European DLB consortium (E-DLB). The centres involved are summarised in online supplementary table 1. Clinical examination was performed as previously reported.1 Dopamine transporter (DAT) single-photon emission CT scans (123I-FP-CIT-SPECT) were performed in 80 patients.