Temporal order memory assessed during spatiotemporal navigation as a behavioral cognitive marker for differential Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.
Episodic memory impairment is a hallmark for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Most actual tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease do not assess the spatiotemporal properties of episodic memory and lead to false-positive or -negative diagnosis. We used a newly developed, nonverbal navigation test for Human, based on the objective experimental testing of a spatiotemporal experience, to differentially Alzheimer's disease at the mild stage (N = 16 patients) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (N = 11 patients) and normal aging (N = 24 subjects). Comparing navigation parameters and standard neuropsychological tests, temporal order memory appeared to have the highest predictive power for mild Alzheimer's disease diagnosis versus frontotemporal lobar degeneration and normal aging. This test was also nonredundant with classical neuropsychological tests. As a conclusion, our results suggest that temporal order memory tested in a spatial navigation task may provide a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer's disease.
Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6 University, Navigation, Memory and Aging Team, Equipe Navigation Memoire et Vieillissement team, UMR7102, CNRS, F75005 Paris, France.
Virginie
V
Bellassen
Kinga
K
Iglói
Leonardo Cruz
LC
de Souza
Bruno
B
Dubois
Laure
L
Rondi-Reig
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D057174:Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors