Lexical semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To study lexical semantic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls.


METHODS
Fifteen mild AD, 15 aMCI, and 15 normal control subjects were included. Diagnosis of AD was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and that of aMCI, on the criteria of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment, using CDR 0.5 for aMCI and CDR 1 for mild AD. All subjects underwent semantic memory tests (Boston Naming-BNT, CAMCOG Similarities item), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), neuropsychological tests (counterproofs), and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Data analysis used Mann-Whitney test for intergroup comparisons and Pearson's coefficient for correlations between memory tests and counterproofs (statistical significance level was p<0.05).


RESULTS
aMCI patients were similar to controls on BNT and Similarities, but worse on MMSE and RAVLT. Mild AD patients scored significantly worse than aMCI and controls on all tests.


CONCLUSIONS
aMCI impairs episodic memory but tends to spare lexical semantic system, which can be affected in the early phase of AD.
Balthazar
Marcio L F
ML
Department of Neurology, Medical School, State University of Campinas, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Martinelli
José E
JE
Cendes
Fernando
F
Damasceno
Benito P
BP
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012660:Semantics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014936:Word Association Tests