Neuropsychological correlates of the alzheimer's questionnaire

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Informant-based assessments of cognition and function are commonly used to differentiate individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) from those who are cognitively normal. However, determining the extent to which informant-based measures correlate to objective neuropsychological tests is important given the widespread use of neuropsychological tests in making clinical diagnoses of aMCI and AD. The aim of the current study is to determine how well the Alzheimer's Questionnaire (AQ) correlates with objective neuropsychological tests. The study utilized data from 300 individuals participating in a brain and body donation program. Individuals diagnosed with aMCI (n = 83) and AD (n = 67) were matched on age, gender, and education to a control individual (n = 150). The average age for the entire sample was 83.52±6.51 years with an average education level of 14.57±2.55 years. Results showed that theAQcorrelated strongly with the Mini-Mental State Exam (r =-0.71, p < 0.001) and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale-2 (r =-0.72, p < 0.001), and moderate correlations were noted for the AQ with memory function (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test Delayed Recall, r =-0.61, p < 0.001) and executive function (Trails B, r = 0.53, p < 0.001). The findings of this study suggest that the AQ correlates well with several neuropsychological tests and lend further support to the validity of the AQ as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment.

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Publication Title

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

ISSN

13872877

E-ISSN

18758908

Volume

46

Issue

2

First Page

389

Last Page

397

PubMed ID

25737045

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3233/JAD-142388

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