title: Dual-task performance in Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and normal ageing.
abstract: Although several studies have shown that dual-tasking ability is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the stage at which this deficit manifests remains unclear. This study investigated if a new paper-and-pencil assessment of dual-tasking ability could distinguish between AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal ageing in a sample of 50 people with AD, 49 people with MCI, and 50 healthy age-matched controls. The AD group demonstrated a significant impairment in dual-task ability. There was no effect of either MCI or healthy ageing on dual-task performance, indicating that the dual-task impairment is specific to AD.
authors.affiliation: Human Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. jfoley@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaschel
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Logie
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Sala
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000465:Algorithms; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis