Visuospatial function is a significant contributor to functional status in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
BACKGROUND
Contribution of visuospatial abilities to the functional status in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To address whether visuospatial abilities have independent association with functional measures in patients with AD.


METHODS
We regressed performances on a global cognitive (the revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale: HDSR), executive/ visuoconstruction (Clock drawing), visuoperception (Clock reading: CRT), simple visuoconstruction (figure copying), and frontal behavioral tasks on measures of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL) in 57 patients (78.0 + 6.1 years) with AD of various severity (mean HDSR score: 16.0 + 5.9). We sought independent contributions of these visuospatial measures to functional status.


RESULTS
Performance on the CRT contributed significantly to BADL and IADL and the results of HDSR contributed to IADL. Results of figure copying related significantly to BADL especially in mild AD.


CONCLUSIONS
Visuospatial ability is one of the important contributors to functional status.
Fukui
Toshiya
T
Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa-prefecture, 224-8503, Japan. tfukui@med.showa-u.ac.jp
Lee
Eiyai
E
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*