title: Focused attention deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: Reaction time (RT) tasks take various forms, and can assess psychomotor speed, (i.e., simple reaction time task), and focused attention (i.e., choice reaction time (CRT) task). If cues are provided before stimulus presentation (i.e., cued choice reaction time (CCRT) task), then a cueing effect can also be assessed. A limited number of studies have addressed the nature of focused attention impairments in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, it is unknown whether similar impairments occur in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The current study used three RT tasks to address the nature of focused attention impairments in AD and MCI subjects. The results suggest that there were significant CRT and CCRT differences in AD subjects when compared to NECs. Furthermore, slowed RTs were also present in the MCI group, which provides evidence for impaired focussed attention and the inability to benefit from a cue in both the MCI and AD groups. The implications of the impairments related to the MCI group could potentially prove useful in early diagnosis of cognitive impairments in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada H3T 1E2. elevin2@po-box.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Elise J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Levinoff
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saumier
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chertkow
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time