Background: Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) can be difficult to distinguish clinically from other dementias.
Objective: To investigate the diagnostic utility of CSF alpha-synuclein in differentiating between DLB and other dementias.
Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched for studies investigating reproducible alpha synuclein quantification methods. Random effects model was used to calculate weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals between DLB and other groups.
Results: A total of 13 studies, comprising 2728 patients were included. Mean CSF alpha-synuclein concentration was significantly lower in DLB patients compared to those with Alzheimers disease (AD) [WMD -0.24; 95% CI, -0.45, -0.03; p = 0.02]. No significant difference was found between patients with DLB compared to Parkinsons disease [WMD 0.05; 95% CI, -0.17, 0.28; p = 0.65] or other neurodegenerative conditions.
Conclusion: CSF alpha synuclein may be of diagnostic use in differentiating between DLB and AD. We propose several recommendations to guide better design of future studies.
Keywords: Alpha-synuclein; Biomarker; Cerebrospinal fluid; Dementia; Dementia with Lewy bodies.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.