An experimental approach to detecting dementia in Down syndrome: a paradigm for Alzheimer's disease.
Measures developed from animal models of aging may detect dementia of the Alzheimer's type in a population at-risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although, by middle age, individuals with Down syndrome (DS) show an extraordinarily high prevalence of AD-type pathology, their severe idiopathic cognitive deficits tend to confound the clinical diagnosis of AD. The current study was designed to improve detection of AD in DS by using measures of learning and memory derived from animal models of aging. Adults with DS (N=34) were assessed and reassessed (n=19) approximately one year later using stimulus-response (S-R) test methods derived from experimental literature, as well as standardized informant-based tests. Results demonstrated high validity and reliability of select tests. The implication of early symptom detection in a population at-risk for AD-type dementia was discussed in terms of potential brain regions of interest.
Nelson
Linda D
LD
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, C8-749, Semel Institute, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1759, USA. lnelson@mednet.ucla.edu
Scheibel
Kevin E
KE
Ringman
John M
JM
Sayre
James W
JW
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity