α‐Synuclein species as potential cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for dementia with lewy bodies

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the discriminating value of a range of CSF α‐synuclein species for dementia with Lewy bodies compared with Alzheimer's disease, PD, and cognitively normal controls. Methods: We applied our recently published enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays to measure the CSF levels of total α‐synuclein, oligomeric α‐synuclein, and phosphorylated α‐synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies (n = 42), Alzheimer's disease (n = 39), PD (n = 46), and controls (n = 78). General linear models corrected for age and sex were performed to assess differences in α‐synuclein levels between groups. We used backward‐elimination logistic regression analysis to investigate the combined discriminating value of the different CSF α‐synuclein species and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. Results: CSF levels of total α‐synuclein were lower in dementia with Lewy bodies and PD compared with Alzheimer's disease as well as controls (P