Urinary AD7c-NTP is Associated With Cognitive Recovery After Ischemic Stroke

Urinary Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7c-NTP) is regarded as a biomarker for β-amyloid protein deposition in Alzheimer disease (AD). The value of AD7c-NTP in predicting post-stroke cognitive recovery was worth exploring. In total, 224 patients with first-ever stroke were enrolled in this retrospective study. Cognitive assessment was evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and cognitive improvement was defined as MMSE scores ≥27 or 4-score elevation at 3-month follow-up after stroke. The AD7c-NTP level was 0.68±0.40 ng/mL in the 135 patients with cognitive improvement, while the AD7c-NTP level was 1.49±0.99 ng/mL in the 89 patients without improvement ( P <0.001). Those displaying better cognitive recovery also had younger ages, higher MMSE scores, and lower NIHSS scores on admission. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, AD7c-NTP concentration (OR=9.14, 95% CI: 4.52-18.49, P <0.001), age (OR=1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.08, P =0.012), and NIHSS score on admission (OR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.07-1.28, P <0.001) remained the independent risk factors affecting cognitive recovery. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for AD7c-NTP in predicting unfavorable cognitive function was 0.80 (sensitivity: 0.73 and specificity: 0.84). Urinary AD7c-NTP is a valuable biomarker associated with post-stroke cognitive recovery. It might be adopted to discriminate coexisting AD pathology from vascular cognitive impairment.