Premium
P3‐077: Increased sensitivity and specificity of a neurocognitive screening battery by incorporating measures of reaction tme and reaction time variability
Author(s) -
Gualtieri Thomas,
Boyd Alan M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2009.04.1153
Subject(s) - neurocognitive , audiology , psychomotor learning , choice reaction time , cognition , psychology , executive functions , developmental psychology , medicine , neuroscience
cognitive impairment (MCI). The current study relates cardiac function (cardiac output and ejection fraction) to early cognitive and neuroimaging markers of cerebrovascular and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology among individuals with MCI. Methods: 3T cardiac and brain MRI and neuropsychological data were collected on 10 MCI participants free from clinical stroke (62-84 years, 7567; 46% women). Cardiac output and ejection fraction, determined by cardiac MRI, were related to neuropsychological and neuroimaging markers of vascular (executive functioning, fractional anisotropy) and AD pathology (learning and memory, hippocampal volume). Results: Partial correlations (pr), adjusting for systolic blood pressure and body surface area, suggest that cardiac output is significantly associated with Digit Symbol (pr1⁄40.72, p1⁄40.04), California Verbal Learning Test Long Delay Recall (pr1⁄40.95, p1⁄40.001), Biber Figure Learning Test Trials 1-5 Recall (pr1⁄40.13, p1⁄40.04), and hippocampal volume (pr1⁄40.76, p1⁄40.04). Partial correlations, adjusting for systolic blood pressure, suggest that ejection fraction is significantly associated with Color-Word Interference (pr1⁄4-0.66, p1⁄40.05). In all cases, as cardiac function decreased, the integrity of the brain aging phenotype also decreased. Conclusions: Our preliminary data based on a very small sample of MCI patients suggest that cardiac function is related to brain aging phenotypes indicative of early Alzheimer’s disease (memory, hippocampal volume) and cerebrovascular changes (executive functioning). Additional cross-sectional data collection and longitudinal follow-up up this cohort will provide essential information in determining if cardiac function is associated with accelerating maladaptive brain aging among older adults at risk for cognitive decline. The successful completion of this research will increase understanding about the complex interrelations between subclinical impairments in cardiac function and cognitive progression in MCI.