The aim was to evaluate the mismatch negativity (MMN) component, a correlate of the automatic detection of changes in the acoustic environment, in healthy adults, and adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Forty-three aMCI subjects and 43 healthy Chinese older adults were arranged into experimental group and control group, respectively. Their MMN amplitude and latency were measured at the FZ, FCZ, and CZ electrode sites under a passive auditory oddball task. The results showed that the latencies obtained from the FZ, FCZ, and CZ electrode sites were significantly longer in the aMCI adults than in the control adults (P < 0.01) while there were no significant differences in MMN amplitude between two groups (P > 0.05). The MMN latency was found to be a sensitive and specific biomarker of aMCI.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; amnestic mild cognitive impairment; biomarkers; event-related potentials; mismatch negativity.