Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7C-NTP) in the assessment of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease.
Methods: All subjects were recruited from neurology ward and clinic of our hospital from December 2012 to September 2013. Using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and urinary levels of AD7C-NTP were tested for 88 elders, including 52 patients with MCI and 36 healthy controls. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 18.0.
Results: The CSF, serum and urinary levels of AD7C-NTP of two groups were (637 ± 191) and (372 ± 98); (499 ± 139) and (271 ± 105) and (343 ± 99) and (195 ± 76) ng/L respectively. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal CSF cut-off point of AD7C-NTP for the diagnosis of MCI was 436.97 ng/L with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 85.0%; the optimal serum cut-off point of AD7C-NTP for the diagnosis of MCI was 367.06 ng/L with a sensitivity of 76.7% and a specificity of 85.0%; the optimal cut-off point of AD7C-NTP in urine for the diagnosis of MCI was 268.57 ng/L with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 90.0%.
Conclusion: Compared with the normal healthy control group, the MCI group has significantly elevated CSF, serum and urine levels of AD7C-NTP. The CSF and urinary levels of AD7C-NTP have high sensitivity and specificity with similar results. And AD7C-NTP may aid the diagnosis of MCI.