Characterization of activities of daily living in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) differ from cognitively normal (NC) older adults on traditional and novel informant-based measures of activities of daily living (ADL) and to identify cognitive correlates of ADLs among participants with MCI.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
University medical setting.


METHODS
Seventy-seven participants (NC: N = 39; MCI: N = 38), 60 to 90 years old (73.5 +/- 6.6 years; 53% female).


METHODS
Neuropsychological and ADL measures.


METHODS
Neuropsychological tests were administered to NC and MCI participants. Informants completed the Lawton and Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Physical Self-Maintenance Scale, including instrumental (IADL) and basic ADL (BADL) scales, as well as the Functional Capacities for Activities of Daily Living (FC-ADL), an error-based ADL measure.


RESULTS
No statistically or clinically significant between-group differences emerged for the BADL or IADL subscales. However, a robust difference was noted for the FC-ADL scale (MCI errors > NC errors; F((1,75))= 13.6, p <0.001; d = 0.84). Among MCI participants, correlations revealed that a measure of verbal learning was the only neuropsychological correlate of FC-ADL total score (r = -0.39, df = 36, p = 0.007). No neuropsychological measures were significantly associated with the IADL or BADL subscale score.


CONCLUSIONS
Traditional measures assessing global ADLs may not be sensitive to early functional changes related to MCI; however, error-based measures may capture the subtle evolving functional decline associated with MCI. Among MCI participants, early functional difficulties are associated with verbal learning performance, possibly secondary to the hallmark cognitive impairment associated with this cohort.
Jefferson
Angela L
AL
Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118-2526, USA. angelaj@bu.edu
Byerly
Laura K
LK
Vanderhill
Susan
S
Lambe
Susan
S
Wong
Sarah
S
Ozonoff
Al
A
Karlawish
Jason H
JH
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D013060:Speech; D013850:Thinking