Clinical Interventions in Aging (Feb 2021)
Application of Cerebrospinal Fluid AT(N) Framework on the Diagnosis of AD and Related Cognitive Disorders in Chinese Han Population
Abstract
Ling-Qi Ye,1,2 Pei-Rong Gao,1 Yan-Bin Zhang,1,3 Hong-Rong Cheng,1,4 Qing-Qing Tao,1 Zhi-Ying Wu,1 Hong-Lei Li1 1Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology in First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Neurology in Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hong-Lei LiDepartment of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-571-87783569Email [email protected]: Studies concerning the impact of the AT(N) framework on diagnostic capability in the dementia population are lacking. We aimed to explore the diagnostic application of CSF AT(N) framework in clinical routines of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as differential diagnosis of other cognitive diseases in the Chinese Han population.Patients and Methods: A total of 137 patients with cognitive disorders received CSF tests of Aβ42, t-tau and p-tau181. Their CSF biomarker results were categorized and interpreted by the AT(N) framework. Neurologists provided a diagnosis both pre- and post-CSF biomarker disclosure with corresponding diagnostic confidence.Results: The total initial diagnosis included 79 patients with AD and 58 patients with non-AD (NAD). The results of CSF biomarkers led to a diagnostic change of 28% in the cohort. Approximately 81.5% (n=53) of 65 patients whose CSF biomarker showed an underlying AD pathology were finally diagnosed as AD, with an increase of 17.5% in diagnostic confidence. Thirty-seven CSF results indicating NAD pathologic changes contributed to an exclusion of AD in 56.8% (n=21) of the patients along with a modest increase of 9.8% in average confidence. Thirty-five patients with normal CSF biomarkers maintained the diagnosis of NAD in 68.6% (n=24) of the group, leading to a slight elevation of 7.6% in confidence.Conclusion: We found that the presence of amyloid pathology (A+) is contributable to diagnosing AD and improving confidence. On occasion of negative amyloid pathology (A-), with or without tau pathology, gaining uncertainty of the primary AD diagnosis would diminish the corresponding confidence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study performed in the Chinese Han population with cognitive disorders that explores the clinical capability of CSF AT(N) framework in a quantitative way.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrospinal fluid biomarker, AT(N), diagnostic confidence
