title: Subjective experience of memory deficits related to clinical and neuroimaging findings.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms and cerebral blood flow (CBF) patterns in middle-aged (35-64 years) and younger old patients (65-74 years) with subjective experience of memory deficits. The study group was heterogeneous with patients fulfilling criteria for dementia, as well as patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and with non-verified cognitive impairment (non-MCI). Seventy per cent of the non-MCI patients reported long-lasting experiences of psychosocial stress tentatively causing the memory problems. The MCI patients were subdivided into two groups: MCI type 1 included patients with isolated memory impairment, while MCI type 2 included patients with memory impairment together with slight verbal and/or visuospatial impairments. CBF measurements comparing the two MCI groups with the non-MCI group were performed. The MCI type 2 showed reduced CBF in the left anterior medial temporal lobe as well as in parts of the posterior cingulate gyrus. The CBF pattern in MCI type 2 concurs with the pathophysiological process of Alzheimer's disease. The results indicate that it is important to make a subdivision of MCI patients regarding the presence of isolated memory impairments or memory impairments together with other slight cognitive deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychogeriatrics, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. christina.elfgren@psykiatr.lu.se
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elfgren
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gustafson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vestberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Risberg
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ryding
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Passant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon