title: Feature Binding Deficits in Subjective Cognitive Decline and in Mild Cognitive Impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Feature binding is a sensitive and specific cognitive marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are clinical categories associated with an increased risk for AD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the SCD and MCI group are impaired with regard to feature binding.
  
  
  METHODS
  The feature binding test was administered to memory clinic patients with either SCD (n = 19, mean MMSE: 29.2) or with MCI (n = 23, mean MMSE: 26.5), and to a group of healthy controls (HC, n = 23, mean MMSE: 29.0). Participants were assessed with the CERAD Plus neuropsychological test battery. Cognitive performance of the three groups was compared by ANCOVA with age, gender and education as covariates and planned contrasts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups differed in the binding condition. Planned contrasts showed significant differences in adjusted means between HC and SCD (p = 0.003), as well as between HC and MCI (p <  0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The feature binding task detects subtle cognitive impairments in participants with SCD, who are unimpaired in traditional neuropsychological testing. This corroborates the use of feature binding tests in preclinical AD studies and suggests that specific cognitive deficits can be found in SCD. Future studies incorporating AD biomarkers and longitudinal follow-up are needed to further establish the clinical utility of feature binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koppara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Frommann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polcher
authors.affiliation: Human Cognitive Neuroscience and Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.|UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience (UIFCoN), Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Mario A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jessen
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|Department of Neurology, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klockgether
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; early detection; feature binding; mild cognitive impairment; subjective cognitive decline