Comparison of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers relevant to neurodegenerative diseases in healthy cynomolgus and rhesus macaque monkeys

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Non-human primates are important translational models of neurodegenerative disease. We characterized how species, sex, age, and site of sampling affected concentrations of key biomarkers of neurodegeneration. METHODS: Amyloid-beta (Aβ40, Aβ42), tau (tTau, pTau), and neurofilament light (NFL) in CSF were measured in 82 laboratory-housed naive cynomolgus and rhesus macaques of both sexes. RESULTS: Aβ40, Aβ42, and NFL were significantly higher in rhesus compared with cynomolgus macaques. tTau and NFL were higher in males. pTau was not affected by species or sex. Site of acquisition only affected NFL, with NFL being higher in CSF acquired from lumbar compared with cisterna magna puncture. DISCUSSION: Normative values for key neurodegeneration biomarkers were established for laboratory housed cynomolgus and rhesus macaque monkeys. Differences were observed as a function of species, sex and site of CSF acquisition that should be considered when employing primate models.