title: Patterns of executive dysfunction in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Executive dysfunction is not uncommon in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). This study aimed to investigate the applicability of executive function tests (EFTs) in aMCI as an aid in establishing the diagnosis of multi-domain MCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty (120) aMCI patients, 126 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and 100 normal controls were enrolled. The EFTs evaluated included the trail making test, digit backward span, Stroop color-word test, and design fluency and category fluency tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the aMCI participants, 66% exhibited impairment in at least one EFT. Among the five selected EFTs, the category fluency test was the most discriminative in detecting executive dysfunction between patients with aMCI (standardized β = 0.264) or AD (standardized β = 0.361) with the controls, followed by the Stroop test. The performance of aMCI patients with two or more impaired EFTs was significantly different from those of controls but not from those of AD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the clinical setting, aMCI patients who fail in two or more EFTs may represent a unique population with multi-domain MCI that require close follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Nai-Ching
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chiung-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ker-Neng
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chi-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wen-Neng
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ya-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ching
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yen-Chi
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Pei-Ning
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014145:Trail Making Test