Sensitivity and specificity of neuropsychological tests for mild cognitive impairment, vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1039-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. DE JAGER ◽  
E. HOGERVORST ◽  
M. COMBRINCK ◽  
M. M. BUDGE
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Verbal Learning

Background. Early diagnosis of dementia is important for those who might benefit from treatment. We designed a brief comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to help differentiate control subjects from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.Method. The battery included tests of memory, attention, executive function, speed, perception and visuospatial skills. It was administered to subjects from the OPTIMA cohort: 51 controls, 29 with MCI, 60 with ‘possible’ or ‘probable’ Alzheimer's disease (AD) (NINCDS/ADRDA) and 12 with cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare performance of controls with other diagnostic groups. The sensitivity and specificity of the tests were determined using Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyses. The effects of age, gender and years of education on test performance were determined with Spearman's rank correlations.Results. The AD group performed worse than controls on all tests except an attention task. The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and The Placing Test for episodic memory showed significant discriminative capacity between controls and other groups. Attention and processing speed tests discriminated CVD from controls. Category fluency, episodic memory tests and the CLOX test for executive function distinguished MCI from AD. Spearman's correlations showed negative associations between age and processing speed. Years of education affected performance on all tests, except The Placing Test.Conclusions. Certain neuropsychological tests have been shown to be sensitive and specific in the differential diagnosis of various types of dementia and may prove to be useful for detection of MCI.

scholarly journals Partial Least Squares Analysis of Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers, Modifiable Health Variables, and Cognition in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jessica Stark ◽  
Daniela J. Palombo ◽  
Jasmeet P. Hayes ◽  
Kelly J. Hiersche ◽  
Alexander N. Hasselbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Growth Factors ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Partial Least Squares Analysis

ABSTRACT Objectives: To identify novel associations between modifiable physical and health variables, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers, and cognitive function in a cohort of older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods: Metrics of cardiometabolic risk, stress, inflammation, neurotrophic/growth factors, AD, and cognition were assessed in 154 MCI participants (Mean age = 74.1 years) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Partial Least Squares analysis was employed to examine associations among these physiological variables and cognition. Results: Latent variable 1 revealed a unique combination of AD biomarkers, neurotrophic/growth factors, education, and stress that were significantly associated with specific domains of cognitive function, including episodic memory, executive function, processing speed, and language, representing 45.2% of the cross-block covariance in the data. Age, body mass index, and metrics tapping basic attention or premorbid IQ were not significant. Conclusions: Our data-driven analysis highlights the significant relationships between metrics associated with AD pathology, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity, primarily with tasks tapping episodic memory, executive function, processing speed, and verbal fluency rather than more basic tasks that do not require mental manipulation (basic attention and vocabulary). These data also indicate that biological metrics are more strongly associated with episodic memory, executive function, and processing speed than chronological age in older adults with MCI.

scholarly journals Neuropsychological Impairments and Their Cognitive Architecture in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) with Lewy Bodies and MCI-Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Joanna Ciafone ◽  
Alan Thomas ◽  
Rory Durcan ◽  
Paul C Donaghy ◽  
Calum A Hamilton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Lewy Bodies ◽  
Trail Making Test ◽  
Neuropsychological Profile ◽  
Trail Making

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to clarify the neuropsychological profile of the emergent diagnostic category of Mild Cognitive Impairment with Lewy bodies (MCI-LB) and determine whether domain-specific impairments such as in memory were related to deficits in domain-general cognitive processes (executive function or processing speed). Method: Patients (n = 83) and healthy age- and sex-matched controls (n = 34) underwent clinical and imaging assessments. Probable MCI-LB (n = 44) and MCI-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (n = 39) were diagnosed following National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) consortium criteria. Neuropsychological measures included cognitive and psychomotor speed, executive function, working memory, and verbal and visuospatial recall. Results: MCI-LB scored significantly lower than MCI-AD on processing speed [Trail Making Test B: p = .03, g = .45; Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST): p = .04, g = .47; DSST Error Check: p < .001, g = .68] and executive function [Trail Making Test Ratio (A/B): p = .04, g = .52] tasks. MCI-AD performed worse than MCI-LB on memory tasks, specifically visuospatial (Modified Taylor Complex Figure: p = .01, g = .46) and verbal (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test: p = .04, g = .42) delayed recall measures. Stepwise discriminant analysis correctly classified the subtype in 65.1% of MCI patients (72.7% specificity, 56.4% sensitivity). Processing speed accounted for more group-associated variance in visuospatial and verbal memory in both MCI subtypes than executive function, while no significant relationships between measures were observed in controls (all ps > .05) Conclusions: MCI-LB was characterized by executive dysfunction and slowed processing speed but did not show the visuospatial dysfunction expected, while MCI-AD displayed an amnestic profile. However, there was considerable neuropsychological profile overlap and processing speed mediated performance in both MCI subtypes.

Cognitive Plasticity in Healthy, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Subjects and Alzheimer's Disease Patients: A Research Project in Spain

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros ◽  
María Dolores Zamarrón ◽  
Lluís Tárraga ◽  
Rosa Moya ◽  
Julio Iñiguez
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Plasticity

Cognitive plasticity, learning potential, and rehabilitation potential are new constructs, which are understood as expressions of neural plasticity. They are assessed through dynamic assessment (or testing-the-limits), using experimental test-training-posttest, a form of evaluation closely related to functional or stress testing in medicine. This research strategy has been used for increasing knowledge about several target populations with intellectual handicaps (socially mentally retarded, brain-impaired, schizophrenia patients, etc.), including older people whose fluid intellectual capacity has declined. Recently, cognitive plasticity has been applied to the study of dementia ( Baltes & Baltes, 1997 ), but there are very few other studies in this area. The basic objective of this research program is to test the extent to which learning potential can be a predictor of the course of dementia. The first specific objective of the research is to test whether learning can discriminate healthy people from those diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In order to assess cognitive plasticity, a Battery of Learning Potential for Assessing Dementia (BEPAD) was developed, incorporating four tests for assessing visuo-spatial and verbal memory, executive function, and verbal fluency. Two hundred subjects participated in the study: 100 healthy elderly, 50 diagnosed with MCI and 50 with AD. All learning strategies included in the four tests making up the BEPAD appear to be effective: All three groups improved their performance in visual memory, verbal learning, and executive function.

scholarly journals Hippocampal atrophy and verbal episodic memory performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: A preliminary study

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalia Carollina Peruzza Marchiani ◽  
Marcio Luiz Figueredo Balthazar ◽  
Fernando Cendes ◽  
Benito Pereira Damasceno
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Verbal Episodic Memory

Abstract To evaluate hippocampal volume in patients with AD and aMCI, and correlate its atrophy with verbal episodic memory performance. Methods: We studied 42 individuals older than 50 years, including 14 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 14 with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 14 normal controls. All individuals were submitted to the Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT) to evaluate episodic memory. They were also submitted to the forward (FDS) and backward digit span (BDS) subtest of WAIS-R to evaluate working memory and attention, and to the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Hippocampal volumetric measurements were performed according to anatomic guidelines from a standard protocol using high-resolution T1-inversion recovery 3-mm coronal MRI slices. Hippocampal volumes (HV) were corrected for the variation in total intracranial volume. There was no significant difference between the three groups concerning age and education. Results: On RAVLT, there was a continuum between the three groups, with AD recalling less words, controls more, and aMCI subjects showing an intermediate performance on all sub-items. We found an asymmetry between HVs, with smaller mean left HV for all groups. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test for comparisons of HV showed a significant difference among groups, with difference between controls and both AD and aMCI, although there was no significant difference between AD and aMCI groups. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between hippocampal volumes and scores on RAVLT, confirming that medial temporal structures are closely associated with memory performance in normal ageing as well as in aMCI and AD.

Identification and Temporal Characterization of Features Associated with the Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer’s Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 751-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Martinez-Torteya ◽  
Hugo Gomez-Rueda ◽  
Victor Trevino ◽  
Joshua Farber ◽  
Jose Tamez-Pena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Quantitative Mri ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Longitudinal Models ◽  
Log Rank Test ◽  
Medical Histories

Background: Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in its earliest stages is important for therapeutic and support planning. Similarly, being able to predict who will convert from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD would have clinical implications. Objectives: The goals of this study were to identify features from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database associated with the conversion from MCI to AD, and to characterize the temporal evolution of that conversion. Methods: We screened the publically available ADNI longitudinal database for subjects with MCI who have developed AD (cases: n=305), and subjects with MCI who have remained stable (controls: n=250). Analyses included 1,827 features from laboratory assays (n=12), quantitative MRI scans (n=1,423), PET studies (n=136), medical histories (n=72), and neuropsychological tests (n=184). Statistical longitudinal models identified features with significant differences in longitudinal behavior between cases and matched controls. A multiple-comparison adjusted log-rank test identified the capacity of the significant predictive features to predict early conversion. Results: 411 features (22.5%) were found to be statistically different between cases and controls at the time of AD diagnosis; 385 features were statistically different at least 6 months prior to diagnosis, and 28 features distinguished early from late conversion, 20 of which were obtained from neuropsychological tests. In addition, 69 features (3.7%) had statistically significant changes prior to AD diagnosis. Conclusion: Our results characterized features associated with disease progression from MCI to AD, and, in addition, the log-rank test identified features which are associated with the risk of early conversion.

scholarly journals Event-related potential and EEG oscillatory predictors of verbal memory in mild cognitive impairment

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangyi Xia ◽  
Ali Mazaheri ◽  
Katrien Segaert ◽  
David P Salmon ◽  
Danielle Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Single Trial ◽  
Prodromal Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alpha Beta

Abstract Reliable biomarkers of memory decline are critical for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Previous work has found three EEG measures, namely the event-related brain potential P600, suppression of oscillatory activity in the alpha frequency range (∼10 Hz) and cross-frequency coupling between low theta/high delta and alpha/beta activity, each of which correlates strongly with verbal learning and memory abilities in healthy elderly and patients with mild cognitive impairment or prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, we address the question of whether event-related or oscillatory measures, or a combination thereof, best predict the decline of verbal memory in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Single-trial correlation analyses show that despite a similarity in their time courses and sensitivities to word repetition, the P600 and the alpha suppression components are minimally correlated with each other on a trial-by-trial basis (generally |rs| &lt; 0.10). This suggests that they are unlikely to stem from the same neural mechanism. Furthermore, event-related brain potentials constructed from bandpass filtered (delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma bands) single-trial data indicate that only delta band activity (1–4 Hz) is strongly correlated (r = 0.94, P &lt; 0.001) with the canonical P600 repetition effect; event-related potentials in higher frequency bands are not. Importantly, stepwise multiple regression analyses reveal that the three event-related brain potential/oscillatory measures are complementary in predicting California Verbal Learning Test scores (overall R2’s in 0.45–0.63 range). The present study highlights the importance of combining EEG event-related potential and oscillatory measures to better characterize the multiple mechanisms of memory failure in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or prodromal Alzheimer’s disease.

scholarly journals Lexical semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease

2007 ◽  
Vol 65 (3a) ◽  
pp. 619-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcio L.F. Balthazar ◽  
José E. Martinelli ◽  
Fernando Cendes ◽  
Benito P. Damasceno
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Semantic Memory ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Memory Tests ◽  
Lexical Semantic

OBJECTIVE: To study lexical semantic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls. METHOD: Fifteen mild AD, 15 aMCI, and 15 normal control subjects were included. Diagnosis of AD was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and that of aMCI, on the criteria of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment, using CDR 0.5 for aMCI and CDR 1 for mild AD. All subjects underwent semantic memory tests (Boston Naming-BNT, CAMCOG Similarities item), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), neuropsychological tests (counterproofs), and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Data analysis used Mann-Whitney test for intergroup comparisons and Pearson's coefficient for correlations between memory tests and counterproofs (statistical significance level was p<0.05). RESULTS: aMCI patients were similar to controls on BNT and Similarities, but worse on MMSE and RAVLT. Mild AD patients scored significantly worse than aMCI and controls on all tests. CONCLUSION: aMCI impairs episodic memory but tends to spare lexical semantic system, which can be affected in the early phase of AD.

Different cognitive profiles between mild cognitive impairment due to cerebral small vessel disease and mild cognitive impairment of Alzheimer’s disease origin

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 898-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
AIHONG ZHOU ◽  
JIANPING JIA
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Cerebral Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Small Vessel ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Vessel Disease

AbstractControversy surrounds the differences of the cognitive profile between mild cognitive impairment resulting from cerebral small vessel disease (MCI-SVD) and mild cognitive impairment associated with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (MCI-AD). The aim of this study was to explore and compare the cognitive features of MCI-SVD and MCI-AD. MCI-SVD patients (n = 56), MCI-AD patients (n = 30), and normal control subjects (n = 80) were comprehensively evaluated with neuropsychological tests covering five cognitive domains. The performance was compared between groups. Tests that discriminated between MCI-SVD and MCI-AD were identified. Multiple cognitive domains were impaired in MCI-SVD group, while memory and executive function were mainly impaired in MCI-AD group. Compared with MCI-SVD, MCI-AD patients performed relatively worse on memory tasks, but better on processing speed measures. The AVLT Long Delay Free Recall, Digit Symbol Test, and Stroop Test Part A (performance time) in combination categorized 91.1% of MCI-SVD patients and 86.7% of MCI-AD patients correctly. Current study suggested a nonspecific neuropsychological profile for MCI-SVD and a more specific cognitive pattern in MCI-AD. MCI-AD patients demonstrated greater memory impairment with relatively preserved mental processing speed compared with MCI-SVD patients. Tests tapping these two domains might be potentially useful for differentiating MCI-SVD and MCI-AD patients. (JINS, 2009, 15, 898–905.)

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document