Cognitive decline and CSF biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment: Aβ42, tau, NfL peptides, memory and executive function

INTRODUCTION: Clinical diagnosis of dementia requires cognitive evaluation, but CSF markers can be evidence of neurodegeneration. Neuropsychological assessment is an essential tool for dementia diagnosis and provides important clinical information. METHODS: The study recruited 216 patients with complaints of memory loss from a Memory Clinic in Reykjavik. Of those, 70 subjects who had completed CSF sampling and neuropsychological assessment were included in the final sample. RESULTS: Higher age, being male, increased levels of NfL and decreased levels of Aβ42 predicted increased memory decline. The strongest predictor was Aβ42. Age mediated the effects of NfL on memory decline, but the effects of Aβ42 on memory were not mediated by age or NfL. A model predicting a decline in executive function was not significant. DISCUSSION: More research is required to predict the effects of CSF markers on cognitive decline in dementia among clinical samples with thorough neuropsychological assessment.The Icelandic MCI study and the current work were funded by the Landspítali University Hospital Research Fund; the St. Josef’s Hospital Fund, Reykjavik, Iceland; and the Icelandic Research Fund of the Icelandic Centre for Research (163172-051)