The utility of intraindividual variability in selective attention tasks as an early marker for Alzheimer's disease.
This study explored differences in intraindividual variability in 3 attention tasks across a large sample of healthy older adults and individuals with very mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). Three groups of participants (healthy young adults, healthy older adults, very mild DAT) were administered 3 experimental measures of attentional selection and switching (Stroop, Simon, task switching). The results indicated that a measure of intraindividual variability, coefficient of variation (CoV; SD/M), increased across age and early stage DAT. The CoV in Stroop discriminated the performance of epsilon4 carriers from noncarriers in healthy older controls and the CoV in task switching was correlated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers predictive of DAT.
Duchek
Janet M
JM
Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. jduchek@wustl.edu
Balota
David A
DA
Tse
Chi-Shing
CS
Holtzman
David M
DM
Fagan
Anne M
AM
Goate
Alison M
AM
D000367:Age Factors; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D015415:Biomarkers; C054369:MAPT protein, human; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D016875:tau Proteins