Mining the secrets of the CSF: developing biomarkers of neurodegeneration
William Z. Potter
William Z. Potter
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Commentary

Mining the secrets of the CSF: developing biomarkers of neurodegeneration

Abstract

Our ability to track the progression of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease (PD) is hampered by a lack of biomarkers, rendering the neuronal changes that underlie clinical symptoms largely a mystery. In this issue of the JCI, Fanara et al. report the development of an innovative approach to biomarker development. They describe a method to measure axonal microtubule function via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling and use this technique to provide evidence of deficiencies in this process in PD patients. This both sheds light on the pathophysiology of PD and has implications for the more general problem of developing biomarkers for any brain process.

Authors

William Z. Potter

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Figure 1

Model of equilibrium processes for any analyte in CSF.

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Model of equilibrium processes for any analyte in CSF. The level of any ...
The level of any analyte in the CSF is related to the rate of production (K prod), the rate of egress into the CSF (Kbc), the rate of entry into brain tissue from the CSF (Kcb), the rate of entry into the periphery from the CSF (Kcp), the rate of entry into the CSF from plasma (Kpc), the rate of egress from brain to plasma (Kbp), the rate of entry into the brain from plasma (Kpb), and the rate of elimination from the plasma (K elim). The model is simplified: rates include all processes, whether passive (diffusion) or active (release, uptake, or transport depending on tissue and direction), and sites of production are treated as homogenously distributed through brain tissue.