title: Attentional control in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Attentional control, the ability to maintain goal-directedness in the face of distraction, has been shown to decline in normal aging (NA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the nature and extent of deficits is under debate. This study investigated attentional control in NA and AD compared to healthy young adults in several tasks such as setting, suppressing, switching, and preparing attention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two participants (17 AD, 17 NA, and 18 young participants) underwent the Tower of London, the Zoo map test, the Stroop test, letter verbal fluency, a computerized version of the Rule shift cards tests, the Trail making test, the Plus-minus test, and a reaction time task with variable preparatory intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses of variance showed that NA as compared to young participants were impaired in the Tower of London, the Stroop test, and the Rule shift cards tests. AD as compared to NA participants were impaired in all tests except the Stroop test. Principal component analysis in young adults confirmed the modularity of attentional tasks, which was reduced in NA and AD participants. Principal component analysis in all populations showed a decline of attentional control with NA and AD regardless of the tasks, with an increase in between-participants variability only between young and NA participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attentional control dysfunction is different in NA and AD: NA affects suppressing attention, switching attention for unpredictable but not predictable events, and preparing attention for unpredictable events, whereas AD affects setting, suppressing, switching, and preparing attention with less specificity.
authors.affiliation: The Neuropsychological Laboratory, CNS-Fed, Paris, France. olivier.coubard@cns-fed.com
authors.forename: Olivier A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Coubard
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrufino
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boura
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gripon
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bherer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D057190:Stroop Test