title: Neuropsychological profile of prodromal Alzheimer's disease (Prd-AD) and their radiological correlates.
abstract: This study describes the cognitive profile of Prd-AD, the neuropsychological tests that may predict progression to dementia, and to study their brain structural correlates. We enrolled 24 stable amnesics who did not develop dementia after two years follow-up; 27 patients were considered as Prd-AD, in the initial visit, since they fulfilled NINCDS-ADRDA criteria after two years; 31 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and 27 controls (CTR). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as a neuropsychological battery was performed at the initial visit. The key findings were: Prd-AD patients were characterized by prominent episodic memory dysfunction and minimal semantic memory and executive dysfunction. Semantic fluency test (Sem-Flu), delayed text memory test (Del-text-mem) and memory alteration test (M@T) (including both episodic and semantic memory), together with trail making test A (TMT-A), resulted significant predictors for dementia development in this group of amnesic patients. This optimal predictive model obtained an estimated accuracy of 53% after two years follow-up. M@T and semantic Sem-Flu test performance presented high correlation with decreased gray matter density in the left lateral temporal lobe. We conclude that Prd-AD is characterized by prominent episodic memory dysfunction and minimal semantic memory and executive dysfunction which are related with left medial, inferior and lateral temporal density loss, predominantly in the left side.
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic i Universitari de Barcelona, Calle Villarroell, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. jlmoli@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Molinuevo
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gómez-Anson
authors.forename: Gemma C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Monte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Valle
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rami
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000647:Amnesia / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies