CSF in Dementia

looking4relief

I was wondering if any of you had a lumbar puncture to try to confirm 

a diagnosis of dementia. Are there specific markers for dementia in general aside from tau protein I think. Has it helped in a diagnosis? 

FTDCaregiver

Hi,

Can't speak to any of what you mention.  For my wife, in her 50s, both the MRI and CAT came back asymptomatic.  A neuropsychiatrist performed an exam and can back inconclusive due to my wife's extreme anxieties (really affected by dementia we know now) which interfered with her taking the test.  Though both strongly agreed that she probably had some form of dementia, we had nothing physiological to point to...Finally, our neurologist sent us for a PET scan.  Tough experience as I had to be very near her during this, but her FTD (Frontotemporal Dementia) showed up.  

looking4relief

As I've seen different diagnostic tests will work for different people, and some will take time before they show something.

Arrowhead

That was one of several test that helped in my wife's diagnosis. It didn't seem to have any negative effects on her.