Cerebrospinal Fluid NrCAM is not a Suitable Biomarker to Discriminate between Dementia Disorders – A Pilot Study

Abstract

Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecule (NrCAM) is a proposed new cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this pilot study, we aimed to validate and extend previous results and measured NrCAM by ELISA in CSF of patients with AD, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and non-demented controls. NrCAM levels were comparable in all groups, but correlated positively with total tau and phosphorylated tau levels. Furthermore, NrCAM had no significant additional diagnostic value when combined with amyloid-β₄₂, total tau, and phosphorylated tau proteins. Therefore, NrCAM is not a suitable CSF biomarker to differentiate between dementia groups.