Lessons from Multicenter Studies on CSF Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease

Several single-center studies have confirmed the usability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in early disease stages. Large scale multicenter studies have principally confirmed this, although such studies have also indicated the presence of significant intercenter and interlaboratory variations in biomarker measurements. Such variations may hamper the development of biomarkers and their introduction into clinical routine practice. Recently a quality control program run by the Alzheimer's Association was started in order to harmonize procedures of laboratories world-wide. This program provides both standardized guide lines and external control CSF samples, and will allow longitudinal evaluation of laboratory performance.