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P2‐152: The early detection of cognitive deterioration in normal populations attending medical checkups of the brain
Author(s) -
Suzuki Kazushi,
Kowa Hisatomo,
Oike Yumiko,
Seto Motoko,
Aizawa Kenichi,
Suzuki Toru,
Yamazaki Tsutomu,
Tsuji Shoji,
Iwata Atsushi
Publication year - 2010
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.2010.05.1200
Subject(s) - wechsler adult intelligence scale , logical address , medicine , cognition , dementia , wechsler memory scale , neuropsychology , cognitive impairment , memory clinic , neuroimaging , psychiatry , pediatrics , clinical psychology , disease , physical address , computer science , programming language , overlay
Background: The identification of preclinical cognitive markers of dementia is a crucial step in the search for the etiology and the development of therapeutic measures. Longitudinal studies with large samples of older individuals can identify potential markers by comparing the baseline performance of participants who remained cognitively healthy to those who became demented. Methods: In the ongoing Basel study on the Elderly (BASEL), an ApoE-E4-enriched sample of cognitively healthy participants (n 1⁄4 848; 377 women, 471 men; age 6 SD 1⁄4 69.4 6 7.89; education 6 SD 1⁄4 12.1 6 3.01, MMSE 6 SD 1⁄4 28.6 6 1.45, ApoE-E4 1⁄4 36.4%) were enrolled between 1997 and 2001 (baseline) and assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery at baseline and bi-annually. To date, 51 participants (ie, NC-DEM) obtained a diagnosis of dementia an average of 6.9 6 2.8 years after baseline (probable AD: N 1⁄4 26, Vascular Dementia N1⁄4 2, Mixed causes N1⁄4 13, Not-otherwise-specified: N1⁄4 10): 19 women, 32 men; baseline age 6 SD1⁄4 73.8 6 5.56 and MMSE 6 SD1⁄4 28.2 6 1.59; education 6 SD1⁄4 12.3 6 3.44; ApoE-E41⁄4 43%). T-tests were used to compare the NC-DEM group’s baseline neuropsychological performance to that of a pairwise matched group of 51 participants (ie, NC-NC; 19 women, 32 men; baseline age 6 SD 1⁄4 73.8 6 5.75 and MMSE 6 SD 1⁄4 28.7 6 1.10; education 6 SD1⁄4 12.1 6 3.01; ApoE-E41⁄4 43%) who remained cognitively healthy an average of 8.3 6 2.9 years after baseline. Results: The comparison of baseline data revealed that NC-DEM participants performed significantly worse than NC-NC participants on word-list learning (p 1⁄4 .008), recall (p 1⁄4 .002) and recognition (p 1⁄4 .008), figural recall (p 1⁄4 0.005), block design (p 1⁄4 .001) and odor identification test for coffee (p 1⁄4 .003). No differences were found on: informantor self-report, depressive symptoms, psychomotor speed, general intellectual abilities, constructive abilities, measures of attention and executive functions. Conclusions: Comprehensive neuropsychological testing showed that memory functions are primarily affected in the preclinical stage of dementia, an average of seven years preceding diagnosis.