Title:Reduced Contextual Information During Future Thinking in Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume: 18
Issue: 11
关键词:
阿尔茨海默病、情境记忆、未来思维、海马、时间、痴呆。
摘要:
Objective: This study assessed the ability of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) to
produce “when, where, and who” information during future thinking.
Methods: AD patients and control participants were invited to imagine future scenarios. Future
thinking was analyzed with respect to the number of “when, where, and who” details. Analysis
showed fewer “when, where, and who” details in AD participants than in control participants. Fewer
“when” than “where” details and fewer “where” than “who” details were observed in AD and
control participants.
Results: Production of temporal information in participants with AD was found to be associated
with general cognitive functioning, as assessed with the Mini Mental State Exam. Future thinking
in AD is mainly associated with reduced contextual information.
Conclusion: The diminished ability to construct time-related details during future thinking in AD
can be mainly associated with the diminished general cognitive ability in AD, and probably with
hippocampal compromise in the disease. We also propose a socio-emotional account according to
which, confronted with a limited-time perspective during future thinking, AD patients may tend to
maximize their emotional well-being by avoiding time-related information and thinking about
friends, family and beloved ones.