Impaired financial abilities in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia

PurposeFinancial capacity (FC) is an instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) critical to independent functioning and sensitive to cognitive impairment in dementia. Little is known about FC in cognitively impaired patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study investigated FC in PD patients with prodromal and clinical dementia.MethodsParticipants were 20 older controls and 35 PD patients who met consensus criteria for either mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI, n = 18) or PD dementia (PDD, n = 17). FC was assessed using a standardized performance based measure consisting of 9 domain and two global scores (Financial Capacity Instrument; FCI) (1). FCI domain and global performance scores were compared across groups. Capacity impairment ratings (no impairment, mild/moderate impairment, severe impairment) were calculated for each PD patient's domain and global scores.ResultsRelative to controls, PD-MCI patients were impaired on both FCI global scores and domains of basic monetary skills, financial concepts, and investment decision-making. Relative to both controls and PD-MCI patients, PDD patients were impaired on virtually all FCI variables. With respect to impairment ratings, greater than 50% of PD-MCI patients and greater than 90% of PDD patients were classified as either mild/moderate or severely impaired on the two FCI global scores.ConclusionsImpairment of financial capacity is already present in PD-MCI and is advanced in PDD. Complex cognitively-mediated IADLs such as financial capacity appear to be impaired early in the course of PD dementia.     

Predicting financial deficits from a standard neuropsychological assessment: preliminary evidence in mild cognitive impairment

Neurological Sciences - Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) might experience difficulties in numerical and financial abilities of daily living that compromise their autonomy. The aim of...     

轻度认知损害的诊断与评估

轻度认知损害(mild cognitive impairment,MCI)是介于正常老化与痴呆之间的过渡阶段~([1]).关于MCI的诊断从狭义的角度,MCI迟早演变为痴呆;而从广义的角度,MCI是一个认知功能损害程度轻重不等、损害领域各异的内涵广泛的群体,是一种综合征.其既可以快速进展至痴呆(痴呆前驱期),也可以长期保持不变(稳定型MCI),甚至部分可逆转为正常.     

Impaired cerebral glucose metabolism and cognitive functioning predict deterioration in mild cognitive impairment

The objective of this study was to assess whether reduced glucose metabolism (rCMRGlu) and cognitive functioning could predict development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Twenty MCI patients underwent baseline and follow-up investigations of rCMRGlu, as measured by PET, and cognitive function measured by neuropsychological test assessments. Subjects were clinically followed up with an average interval of 36.5 months. Two groups were obtained after the second clinical assessment. Nine patients were diagnosed as AD and classified as progressive MCI (P-MCI), whereas 11 patients remained clinically stable and were classified as stable MCI (S-MCI). There were no differences in demographic variables or baseline MMSE between the two subgroups. Logistic regression indicated the two variables that most effectively predicted future development of AD were rCMRGlu from the left temporoparietal area and performance on the block design. These combined measures gave an optimal 90% correct classification rate, whereas only rCMRGlu or neuropsychology alone gave 75% and 65% correct classification, respectively. Measures of temporoparietal cerebral metabolism and visuospatial function may aid in predicting the evolution to AD for patients with MCI.     

中文版MoCA和MMSE在诊断遗忘型轻度认知功能障碍中的应用

目的 研究中文版蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)在遗忘型轻度认知障碍(aMCI)诊断筛查中的作用. 方法 以2009-05-2010-03在卫生部北京医院神经内科门诊就诊的患者为检查对象,筛选出aMCI患者31例及健康对照者30名,分别进行简易精神状态量表(MMSE)、MoCA等量表检测,计算两量表诊断aMCI的敏感性和特异性并进行比较,分析MoCA在诊断aMCI中的作用和特点. 结果 以26分作为分界值时,MMSE和MoCA诊断aMCI的敏感性分别为9.68%和87.10%,特异性分别为93.33%和73.33%.MoCA的敏感性显著高于MMSE. 结论与MMSE 相比,MoCA以其较高的敏感性在筛查aMCI中具有较大作用,而且可对多个认知领域的功能进行检测,有望在多个认知损害类型的研究中起到重要作用.     

The impact of mild cognitive impairment on functional abilities in the elderly

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) covers a spectrum of cognitive impairment, bordered by normal cognitive performance on one end and frank dementia on the other. How wide the net for MCI is cast will affect the prevalence and severity of its functional consequences. Many studies suggest that MCI is an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, investigation of the functional impact of MCI offers an important opportunity to examine the quality-of-life impact of a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease. In this review, the authors examine the nosology of the condition, the subjective experience of having an MCI diagnosis, and crosssectional and prospective studies that have examined the topic.     

轻度认知功能障碍患者的日常生活能力改变

目的分析轻度认知功能障碍(MCI)患者的日常生活能力的改变情况。方法研究对象为50岁以上患者,根据欧洲AD协会MCI工作组于2005年提出的MCI诊断标准诊断轻度认知功能障碍(MCI)41例,对照(NC)34例,进行蒙特利尔认知评定量表(MoCA)、日常生活活动能力量表(ADL)测试。结果 41例MCI中有8例日常生活活动能力下降,MoCA、MoCA-mem与ADL得分有相关性[相关系数分别为-0.29,P<0.05(P=0.01)、-0.27,P<0.05(P=0.02)];MCI组与NC组在工具性日常生活活动量表(IADL)得分上差异明显[P=0.02(P<0.05)],在ADL得分及躯体生活自理量表(PSMS)得分上差异不明显,(P分别为0.09、0.75)。MCI组PSMS损害程度与IADL损害程度之间的差异明显[P=0.03(P<0.05)]。结论部分轻度认知功能损害患者存在日常生活活动能力的轻微下降,以IADL下降为主。     

Cognitive assessment tools for mild cognitive impairment screening

Journal of Neurology - Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical condition with a high risk of progression to dementia. Due to lack of effective disease-modifying therapies for advanced...     

Misclassification is likely in the assessment of mild cognitive impairment

We estimated the relative frequency of isolated memory impairment versus isolated and comorbid impairment in executive control function (ECF). One hundred and ninety-three noninstitutionalized residents of a single Comprehensive Care Retirement Community (mean age 79.2 years) were investigated. The subjects were tested with multiple measures of memory and ECF. Test scores were standardized to minimize scaling effects. 'Impairment' was defined as performance < or =1.5 standard deviations below the mean for the entire sample (i.e., a z score < or =-1.5). Disability was estimated as the sum of self-reported activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. The cognitive test performance was significantly associated with functional impairment, independently of age. ECF and memory measures were significantly intercorrelated. Both were significantly and independently associated with disability ratings. 6-10% of the subjects had memory impairment; 25-35% of the memory-impaired subjects had comorbid ECF impairments. An additional 4-7% of the subjects had isolated ECF impairment. A significant fraction of the cases otherwise meeting the criteria for 'mild cognitive impairment' may have comorbid ECF impairment. This raises the issue of whether they might be more properly classified as 'demented'. In addition, isolated ECF impairment may affect almost as many persons as isolated memory impairment. Isolated ECF impairment is not consistent with the natural history of preclinical Alzheimer's disease, suggests other conditions, and can be disabling, independently of age and/or memory loss.     

Conceptualization of mild cognitive impairment: a review

BACKGROUND: Several factors have prompted renewed interest in the concept of declines in cognitive function that occur in association with aging, in particular the area between normal cognition and dementia. We review the changing conceptualization of what has come to be known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in an effort to identify recent developments and highlight areas of controversy. METHODS: Standard MEDLINE search for relevant English-language publications on mild cognitive impairment and its associated terms, supplemented by hand searches of pertinent reference lists. RESULTS: Many conditions cause cognitive impairment which does not meet current criteria for dementia. Within this heterogenous group, termed 'Cognitive Impairment, No Dementia' (CIND), there are disorders associated with an increased risk of progression to dementia. Still, the conceptualization of these latter disorders remains in flux, with variability around assumptions about aging, the relationship between impairment and disease, and how concomitant functional impairment is classified. Amongst patients with MCI, especially its amnestic form, many will progress to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In contrast with clinic-based studies, where progression is more uniform, population-based studies suggest that the MCI classification is unstable in that context. In addition to Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (AMCI), other syndromes exist and can progress to dementia. For example, an identifiable group with vascular cognitive impairment without dementia shows a higher risk of progression to vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease and mixed dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Recent attempts to profile patients at an increased risk of dementia suggest that this can be done in skilled hands, especially in people whose symptoms prompt them to seek medical attention. Whether these people actually have early AD remains to be determined. The more narrowly defined MCI profiles need to be understood in a population context of CIND.     

Frontotemporal mild cognitive impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment appears to be a heterogeneous clinical entity comprising patients in the initial phases of distinct neurological disorders. Since frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a relatively common neurodegenerative disease with an insidious onset, it might be possible to detect the patients in the initial phases of the disorder, before being demented. In the present work we proposed a set of criteria to identify patients with mild cognitive impairment of the frontotemporal type (FT-MCI), applied these criteria retrospectively to a large patient database, and evaluated the progression of the patients. Seven subjects fulfilling the proposed criteria for frontotemporal MCI were identified. They had symptoms of apathy, disinhibition, irritability and aggressiveness, untidiness, difficulties in decision making, obsessions and lack of concern for the others, for 1.5 +/- 0.8 years before the diagnosis of FT-MCI. Brain CT or MRI scan displayed fronto-temporal atrophy in five. Neuropsychological examination revealed deficits in tests dependent upon the frontal lobe, namely attention, verbal, motor and graphomotor initiatives and conceptual thinking. The patients kept their professional and daily activities, and were not demented. It was possible to have the follow-up of all patients. All but one patient diagnosed FT-MCI developed dementia of the frontotemporal type within 1.8 +/- 1.0 years. Application of the proposed criteria for FT-MCI, at least in this clinical neurological setting, can identify a group of patients with a high probability of further cognitive decline to dementia of the frontotemporal type.     

Comparison of informant reports and neuropsychological assessment in mild cognitive impairment

The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the accuracy of informant reports on cognitive status in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by comparing the subjective evaluation made by patients' relatives with the objective results of neuropsychological assessment. We enrolled 119 MCI outpatients and their relatives. Cognitive impairment was assessed by a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests. Informant reports on cognitive functioning were obtained by means of a structured interview. Subjective and objective evaluations of cognitive status were rated according to the same scoring system in order to enable comparison. All but one relative reported cognitive dysfunctions at the interview, but the kind of cognitive profile emerging from their reports was quite different from the one highlighted by neuropsychological assessment. A subjective evaluation of cognitive status based on informant reports could therefore be useful to identify patients with MCI but is unable to define MCI subtypes.     

Unobtrusive assessment of activity patterns associated with mild cognitive impairment

BackgroundTimely detection of early cognitive impairment is difficult. Measures taken in the clinic reflect a single snapshot of performance that might be confounded by the increased variability typical in aging and disease. We evaluated the use of continuous, long-term, and unobtrusive in-home monitoring to assess neurologic function in healthy and cognitively impaired elders.MethodsFourteen older adults 65 years and older living independently in the community were monitored in their homes by using an unobtrusive sensor system. Measures of walking speed and amount of activity in the home were obtained. Wavelet analysis was used to examine variance in activity at multiple time scales.ResultsMore than 108,000 person-hours of continuous activity data were collected during periods as long as 418 days (mean, 315 ± 82 days). The coefficient of variation in the median walking speed was twice as high in the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group (0.147 ± 0.074) as compared with the healthy group (0.079 ± 0.027; t₁₁ = 2.266, P < .03). Furthermore, the 24-hour wavelet variance was greater in the MCI group (MCI, 4.07 ± 0.14; healthy elderly, 3.79 ± 0.23; F = 7.58, P ≤ .008), indicating that the day-to-day pattern of activity of subjects in the MCI group was more variable than that of the cognitively healthy controls.ConclusionsThe results not only demonstrate the feasibility of these methods but also suggest clear potential advantages to this new methodology. This approach might provide an improved means of detecting the earliest transition to MCI compared with conventional episodic testing in a clinic environment.     

Visual search in mild cognitive impairment: a longitudinal study

In the study of Alzheimer's disease, a multidisciplinary research approach has identified significant abnormality in several areas of visual and visual attention-related brain function in addition to those typically measured as part of clinical diagnosis. This raises the possibility that a similar approach applied to amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) will increase our understanding of its theoretical and clinical constructs, particularly if functions whose integrity is heterogeneous with respect to etiological outcome can be found. In this study we examined visual search performance (the brain's ability to search effectively throughout the environment for a particular object) in aMCI compared to healthy aging. Cross-sectionally, visual search performance in aMCI was significantly poorer than in healthy aging, with greater intra-group performance heterogeneity in the aMCI compared to the healthy older adult group. This outcome illustrates that although individuals within an aMCI group ostensibly have the same condition they can differ substantially with respect to the integrity of aspects of brain function. Such findings may have implications for the clinical management of the individual patient. The results from the longitudinal aspect of this study also illustrate how heterogeneity in the performance of brain operations other than memory in aMCI may help to inform the likelihood of their developing dementia, as those patients who were diagnosed with dementia within 2.5 years of baseline measurement showed significantly poorer visual search performance compared to those who did not.