Elevated Cerebrospinal Fluid Total Tau in Niemann-Pick Disease Type C1: Correlation With Clinical Severity and Response to Therapeutic Interventions

Niemann-Pick disease, type C1 (NPC1) is an inborn error of intracellular cholesterol transport. Impaired function of NPC1 leads to endolysosomal accumulation of unesterified cholesterol, which results in progressive neurodegeneration. Although the age of onset is variable, classical NPC1 is a pediatric disease. Identification of biomarkers that correlate with clinical phenotype and respond to therapeutic interventions will be essential for developing effective therapeutic interventions. Aβ peptides and Tau protein are primary components of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, respectively, which are major pathological features in neurodegenerative disorders. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of total Tau, a biomarker of axonal damage, were elevated ~3-fold (p < 0.0001) in 106 individuals with Niemann-Pick disease, type C1, relative to age-appropriate comparison samples. Baseline CSF total Tau levels correlated with clinical measures of disease severity. Specifically, CSF total Tau levels decreased with increased age of neurological onset (r_s = −0.42, FDR adj. p < 0.0001) and increased with increased Annual Severity Increment Score (r_s = 0.52, FDR adj. p < 0.0001). Baseline CSF total Tau levels were decreased 40% (p = 0.0066) in individuals being treated with miglustat, and longitudinal analysis substantiated this observation with a 40% decrease (p < 0.0001, 95% CI 32%–47.4%). Longitudinal analysis also showed a significant (p = 0.004) decrease of 19% (95% CI 7%–30%) in total Tau levels associated with intrathecal 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin therapy. These data show that CSF total Tau levels are significantly increased in individuals with NPC1, positively correlated with increased disease severity, and respond to therapeutic interventions.