Compared to Aβ- cognitively normal (CN) elderly controls, AD-dementia and Aβ+ MCI patients both showed significant increases of four proteins in CSF, including chitinase 1 (CHIT1; d = 0.95 in Aβ+ MCI; d = 0.76 in AD; q < 6.07 × 10− 7), matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP-10; d = 0.32 in Aβ+ MCI; d = 0.54 in AD; q < 1.16 × 10− 5), SMOC2 (d = 0.29 in Aβ+ MCI; d = 0.28 in AD; q < 1.16 × 10− 5), and ezrin (d = 0.13 in Aβ+ MCI; d = 0.24 q < 0.05; see Fig. 1a and Table 2). Here, SMOC2 is linked to dementia.