title: Face-Name Associative Recognition Deficits in Subjective Cognitive Decline and Mild Cognitive Impairment.
abstract: There is a need for more sensitive neuropsychological tests to detect subtle cognitive deficits emerging in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Associative memory is a cognitive function supported by the hippocampus and affected early in the process of AD.
  
  
  
  We developed a short computerized face-name associative recognition test (FNART) and tested whether it would detect memory impairment in memory clinic patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD).
  
  
  
  We recruited 61 elderly patients with either SCD (n = 32) or MCI (n = 29) and 28 healthy controls (HC) and compared performance on FNART, self-reported cognitive deterioration in different domains (ECog-39), and, in a reduced sample (n = 46), performance on the visual Paired Associates Learning of the CANTAB battery.
  
  
  
  A significant effect of group on FNART test performance in the total sample was found (p < 0.001). Planned contrasts indicated a significantly lower associative memory performance in the SCD (p = 0.001, d = 0.82) and MCI group (p < 0.001, d = 1.54), as compared to HCs, respectively. The CANTAB-PAL discriminated only between HC and MCI, possibly because of reduced statistical power. Adjusted for depression, performance on FNART was significantly related to ECog-39 Memory in SCD patients (p = 0.024) but not in MCI patients.
  
  
  
  Associative memory is substantially impaired in memory clinic patients with SCD and correlates specifically with memory complaints at this putative preclinical stage of AD. Further studies will need to examine the predictive validity of the FNART in SCD patients with regard to longitudinal (i.e., conversion to MCI/AD) and biomarker outcomes.
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polcher
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Frommann
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koppara
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolfsgruber
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jessen
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001245:Association Learning; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000073216:Mental Status and Dementia Tests; D009275:Names; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010465:Perception; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; associative memory; cognition; early detection; hippocampus; mild cognitive impairment; neuropsychological tests; recognition; subjective cognitive decline