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- Boraxbekk, Carl-Johan, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Free Recall Episodic Memory Performance Predicts Dementia Ten Years prior to Clinical Diagnosis : Findings from the Betula Longitudinal Study
- 2015
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In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra. - : S. Karger AG. - 1664-5464. ; 5:2, s. 191-202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background/Aims: Early dementia diagnosis is a considerable challenge. The present study examined the predictive value of cognitive performance for a future clinical diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia in a random population sample. Methods: Cognitive performance was retrospectively compared between three groups of participants from the Betula longitudinal cohort. Group 1 developed dementia 11-22 years after baseline testing (n = 111) and group 2 after 1-10 years (n = 280); group 3 showed no deterioration towards dementia during the study period (n = 2,855). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive value of tests reflecting episodic memory performance, semantic memory performance, visuospatial ability, and prospective memory performance. Results: Age-and education-corrected performance on two free recall episodic memory tests significantly predicted dementia 10 years prior to clinical diagnosis. Free recall performance also predicted dementia 11-22 years prior to diagnosis when controlling for education, but not when age was added to the model. Conclusion: The present results support the suggestion that two free recall-based tests of episodic memory function may be useful for detecting individuals at risk of developing dementia 10 years prior to clinical diagnosis.
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| 2. |
- Petrova, M, et al.
(author)
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Clinical and Neuropsychological Differences between Mild Parkinson's Disease Dementia and Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- 2015
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In: Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders extra. - : S. Karger AG. - 1664-5464. ; 5:2, s. 212-20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- <b><i>Background:</i></b> The specific profile of dementia in Parkinson's disease (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in the earliest stages of dementia is still unclear and subject of considerable controversy. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We investigated 27 PDD patients and 24 DLB patients with parkinsonism in the early stage of dementia, i.e. with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥24. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to PDD, patients with DLB demonstrated significantly lower scores when testing attention and executive functions [modified card sorting test (p < 0.001) and digit span backward (p < 0.02)], as well as when testing constructive abilities [copy of complex designs (p = 0.001) and pentagon (p < 0.001)]. Using logistic regression analysis, diagnosis was predicted from the cognitive profile, with an overall accuracy of 88.2%. In addition, PDD patients showed a significantly higher Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor subscore (p < 0.001) as well as higher UPDRS motor item scores [tremor at rest (p = 0.01) and bradykinesia (p = 0.001)]. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The cognitive profile in PDD differs from that in DLB in the early stage of dementia, with worse performance on tests of attention and executive functions and constructive abilities in DLB compared to PDD patients. In contrast, motor symptoms are more severe in PDD than in DLB.
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| 3. |
- Robins Wahlin, Tarja-Brita, et al.
(author)
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Non-verbal and verbal fluency in prodromal Huntington’s disease
- 2015
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In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra. - : S. Karger AG. - 1664-5464. ; 5:3, s. 517-529
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: This study examines nonverbal (design) and verbal (phonemic and semantic) fluency in prodromal Huntington’s disease (HD). An accumulating body of research indicates subtle deficits in cognitive functioning among prodromal mutation carriers for HD. Methods: Performance was compared between 32 mutation carriers and 38 noncarriers in order to examine the magnitude of impairment across fluency tasks. The Predicted Years To Onset (PYTO) in mutation carriers was calculated by a regression equation and used to divide the group according to whether onset was predicted less than 12.75 years (HD+CLOSE; n=16) or greater than 12.75 years (HD+DISTANT; n=16). Results: The results indicate that both nonverbal and verbal fluency are sensitive to subtle impairment in prodromal HD. HD+CLOSE group produced fewer items in all assessed fluency tasks compared to noncarriers. HD+DISTANT produced fewer drawings than noncarriers in the nonverbal task. PYTO correlated significantly with all measures of nonverbal and verbal fluency. Conclusion: The pattern of results indicates that subtle cognitive deficits exist in prodromal HD, and that less structured tasks with high executive demands are the most sensitive in detecting divergence from the normal range of functioning. These selective impairments can be attributed to the early involvement of frontostriatal circuitry and frontal lobes.
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