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Updated: May 30, 2026

Absolute Quantification of Aβ1-42 in CSF Using a Mass Spectrometric Reference Measurement Procedure
Published on: March 21, 2017
Association of N-acetylaspartate and cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42 in dementia
Frank Jessen1, Piotr Lewczuk, Okan Gür
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Frank.Jessen@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Abstract:
The interplay of amyloid and mitochondrial function is considered crucial in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We tested the association of the putative marker of mitochondrial function N-acetylaspartate (NAA) as measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy within the medial temporal lobe and cerebrospinal fluid amyoid-β42 (Aβ42), total Tau and pTau181. 109 patients were recruited in a multicenter study (40 mild AD patients, 14 non-AD dementia patients, 29 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) AD-type patients, 26 MCI of non-AD type patients). NAA correlated with Aβ42 within the AD group. Since the NAA concentration is coupled to neuronal mitochondrial function, the correlation between NAA and Aβ42 may reflect the interaction between disrupted mitochondrial pathways and amyloid production.
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