Cerebrospinal fluid erythropoietin in neurodegenerative diseases

Objective: Erythropoietin (EPO) and its specific receptor (EPOR) have been proposed to act as an endogenous system protecting against neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. We measured EPO in CSF of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, and tested for a correlation with an established biomarker of neuro-axonal damage, tau protein. Methods: Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, N=40), vascular dementia (VD, N=19), frontotemporal dementia (FTD, N=5), ALS (N=30) and controls (N=49) were included. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum levels of EPO and tau were measured using ELISA techniques. Results: We found C…