[Working memory and complex activities of everyday life in the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease].
BACKGROUND
Evaluation of the working memory (WM) permits analysis of the degree of anterograde amnesia and fixation deficit present in patients with Alzheimer s disease (AD). Complex activities of everyday life (AEL) are also affected early. There is a close relation between the degree of cognitive deterioration and loss of functional competence in AEL.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the degree of memory loss and performance in carrying out complex AEL in patients with AD and mild cognitive disorder.


METHODS
Evaluation of functional disorder, using Pfeffer s functional activity questionnaire (FAQ), and cognitive evaluation, using the WM examination protocol in a group of 36 patients.


RESULTS
In the total MT (4.2+/-5.7) there were significant differences between patients with age associated memory impairment (AAMI) (11+/-7) and possible EA (3.2+/-4.6) and between AAMI and probable AD (2.8+/-4.8). The functional evaluation of the AEL (FAQ) gave a mean of 8.5+/-7.1. There were significant differences between probable AD (11+/-8) and possible EA (6+/-4) with the group AAMI 1+/-1.8. There was significant correlation between FAQ and total WM ( 0.70, p= 0.0001). It was found that patients with high FAQ scores had lower total WM scores.


CONCLUSIONS
FAQ and WM have high correlation and are useful instruments for the evaluation of patients with cognitive deterioration at the initial stages.
Ríos
C
C
Servicio de Neurología; Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, 50009, España. consrios@teleline.es
Pascual
L F
LF
Santos
S
S
López
E
E
Fernández
T
T
Navas
I
I
Casadevall
T
T
Tejero
C
C
Morales
F
F
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Memoria de trabajo y actividades complejas de la vida diaria en el estadio inicial de la enfermedad de Alzheimer.