The comparison of urine AD7c-NTP levels and olfactory function among three types of dementia patients

Abstract

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein(AD7C-NTP)and olfactory function in the differentiation of three types of dementia, and to evaluate their clinical application value. Methods Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)and Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)were applied to evaluate cognitive function of all subjects with Alzheimer disease(AD), frontotemporal dementia(FTLD), or mixed dementia(MD). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the expression levels of AD7c-NTP in urine.T&T test method was applied to detect the olfactory function.Spearman rank correlation was used to evaluate the correlation of urine AD7c-NTP with MMSE and MoCA scores. Results There was no significant difference in the demographic profile(except age)among three types of dementia of AD, FTLD and MD(F=4.05, P=0.02). Among the three dementia groups, the mean age of the MD group was highest.The statistically significant difference in MMSE scores was found among the three groups(F=3.79, P=0.03), while there was no significant difference in MoCA and NPI scores among the three dementia groups.The levels of the urine AD7c-NTP were different among the three dementia groups, but without statistical significance(H=1.25, P=0.53). Additionally, the FTLD group had the highest urine AD7c-NTP level.Spearman rank correlation analysis showed no correlation of AD7c-NTP with MMSE and MoCA(r=0.18, P=0.25; r=0.14, P=0.39, respectively). No differences in olfactory function of the recognition domain(H=3.40, P=0.18)and in the detection domain(H=2.07, P=0.36)were found among three dementia groups of AD, FTLD and MD. Conclusions The level of urine AD7c-NTP is not of clinical significance in differentiating three types of dementia, and it is not correlated with the MMSE and MoCA scores.This study fails to find the clinical value of olfactory function test for distinguishing three types of dementia. Key words: Dementia; Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein; Olfactory function