简单执行测试显示轻度认知功能障碍和轻度阿尔茨海默病患者的执行力与冷漠无关

Title:Apathy Is not Associated with Performance in Brief Executive Tests in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimers Disease

Volume: 11 Issue: 8

Author(s): Henrique Cerqueira Guimaraes, Patricia Paes Fialho, Viviane Amaral Carvalho, Thais Helena Machado, Etelvina Lucas Santos and Paulo Caramelli

Affiliation:

关键词: 阿尔茨海默病，冷漠，执行能力，功能性，记忆，轻度认知功能障碍

摘要: Neuropsychological correlates of apathy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may shed some light on the neurobiology of this behavioral disorder. Whereas previous research has suggested an association between apathy and executive functions in AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) cohorts point to an association with memory tests. We aimed to further investigate this issue in a sample of low educated, hitherto unexposed to cholinesterase inhibitors, aMCI (n=26) and mild AD (n=28) patients using brief executive tests, namely the Executive Interview (EXIT-25) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Patients and controls (n=33) were included from a community-based survey of successful brain aging in Brazilian elderly (75+ years), The Pietà Study. The participants were submitted to a comprehensively neuropsychological assessment and apathy evaluation through the Apathy Scale (AS).We found a strong correlation in AD group between AS scores and functional performance measured by the Disability Assessment in Dementia (rho =-0.7 ; p<0,001). No association was found between any executive test performance and apathy symptoms. Apathy symptoms were also associated with the performance in memory tests and in the attention subscale of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. These findings reinforce the functional effect of apathy even in the mildest stages along the AD cognitive impairment spectrum, and challenges previous assumptions regarding the association between apathy and classical executive functions.

Cite this article as:

Henrique Cerqueira Guimaraes, Patricia Paes Fialho, Viviane Amaral Carvalho , Thais Helena Machado, Etelvina Lucas Santos and Caramelli Paulo, Apathy Is not Associated with Performance in Brief Executive Tests in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimers Disease, Current Alzheimer Research 2014; 11 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720501108140910122509