Age-associated memory impairment. A neuropsychological and epidemiological study. PDF
35 Pages·1996·0.4965 MB·other
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Preview Age-associated memory impairment. A neuropsychological and epidemiological study.
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The aim of this study was to characterize the neuropsychological and epidemiological aspects involved in diagnosing age-related changes in cognition. The properties of the diagnostic criteria for age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) proposed by the National Institute of Mental Health and for age-associated cognitive decline (AACD) proposed by the International Psychogeriatric Association were evaluated in a large random sample and in smaller select groups of elderly subjects.
According to the high prevalence of AAMI found in the present study, AAMI appeared likely to be a phenomenon of normal aging rather than a continuum from normal aging to a pathologic state such as Alzheimer's disease. As in some previous studies, the neuropsychological methods used for AAMI diagnosis also appeared ambiguous in this study. The follow-up of AAMI subjects suggested that AAMI, in general, is nonprogressive, but that the AAMI population also includes subjects with very early dementia. However, these subjects can be differentiated by means of a more detailed neuropsychological evaluation. In comparison with age-matched controls, AAMI subjects appeared to be impaired not only in tests assessing memory, but also in tests of executive functions associated with frontal lobe function. This finding agrees with previous reports suggesting an important role for
frontal lobe dysfunction in the memory loss of elderly people. The comparison of subjects with high and low frequencies of subjective complaints of memory loss suggested that these subjective feelings of memory impairment are more closely associated with personality traits than with actual memory performance in normal elderly people. This complicates the use of memory complaints in the inclusion criteria for AAMI and AACD diagnosis.
The prevalence of AACD was found to be lower than that of AAMI. As AAMI tends to identify a very heterogeneous subject group, the AACD diagnosis might prove superior to AAMI for differentiating a meaningful subgroup from the elderly population, both for research purposes and in clinical settings. This remains to be confirmed in follow-up studies. This study demonstrated that the AAMI diagnosis appears to identify a very
heterogeneous group of subjects of only vague clinical or theoretical significance. The significance of the AACD diagnosis remains to be confirmed in follow-up studies. Nevertheless, more reliable diagnostic approaches are needed in studies trying to identify risk factors for dementia or to find treatments for very early dementia.
National Library of Medicine Classification: WT 100, WL 103.5, WL 359
Medical Subject Headings: aging; memory; memory disorders; dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; neuropsychological tests; risk factors; epidemiology; diagnosis; classification; personality; frontal lobe/physiopathology.
According to the high prevalence of AAMI found in the present study, AAMI appeared likely to be a phenomenon of normal aging rather than a continuum from normal aging to a pathologic state such as Alzheimer's disease. As in some previous studies, the neuropsychological methods used for AAMI diagnosis also appeared ambiguous in this study. The follow-up of AAMI subjects suggested that AAMI, in general, is nonprogressive, but that the AAMI population also includes subjects with very early dementia. However, these subjects can be differentiated by means of a more detailed neuropsychological evaluation. In comparison with age-matched controls, AAMI subjects appeared to be impaired not only in tests assessing memory, but also in tests of executive functions associated with frontal lobe function. This finding agrees with previous reports suggesting an important role for
frontal lobe dysfunction in the memory loss of elderly people. The comparison of subjects with high and low frequencies of subjective complaints of memory loss suggested that these subjective feelings of memory impairment are more closely associated with personality traits than with actual memory performance in normal elderly people. This complicates the use of memory complaints in the inclusion criteria for AAMI and AACD diagnosis.
The prevalence of AACD was found to be lower than that of AAMI. As AAMI tends to identify a very heterogeneous subject group, the AACD diagnosis might prove superior to AAMI for differentiating a meaningful subgroup from the elderly population, both for research purposes and in clinical settings. This remains to be confirmed in follow-up studies. This study demonstrated that the AAMI diagnosis appears to identify a very
heterogeneous group of subjects of only vague clinical or theoretical significance. The significance of the AACD diagnosis remains to be confirmed in follow-up studies. Nevertheless, more reliable diagnostic approaches are needed in studies trying to identify risk factors for dementia or to find treatments for very early dementia.
National Library of Medicine Classification: WT 100, WL 103.5, WL 359
Medical Subject Headings: aging; memory; memory disorders; dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; neuropsychological tests; risk factors; epidemiology; diagnosis; classification; personality; frontal lobe/physiopathology.
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