Neuropathologic validation of the Alzheimer's Questionnaire

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Alzheimer's Questionnaire (AQ) is an informant-based screening tool with good diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The aim of this study is to validate the AQ with AD-associated neuritic plaque (NP) and neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology. Data from 205 prospectively followed autopsy cases clinically classified as AD (n = 90), aMCI (n = 42), or cognitively unimpaired (CU, n = 73) were used. Semi-quantitative measures of NP and NFT pathology were correlated with the AQ, Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB), and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). The AQ correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with NP load (r = 0.37) and NFT load (r = 0.57). The MMSE and CDR-SOB showed similar correlations with NP load (r = - 0.37, r = 0.35, respectively) and NFT load (r = - 0.58, r = 0.55, respectively). The AQ correlates well with NP and NFT pathology of AD, which provides additional confidence to clinicians using the AQ to screen for AD-related cognitive impairment.

Medical Subject Headings

Humans; Alzheimer Disease (diagnosis); Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Cognitive Dysfunction (diagnosis); Autopsy; Surveys and Questionnaires

Publication Date

11-1-2022

Publication Title

Aging clinical and experimental research

E-ISSN

1720-8319

Volume

34

Issue

11

First Page

2905

Last Page

2909

PubMed ID

36031683

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1007/s40520-022-02222-9

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