Neuropsychological contributions to the early identification of Alzheimer's disease.

Full Abstract

A wealth of evidence demonstrates that a prodromal period of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exists for some years prior to the appearance of significant cognitive and functional declines required for the clinical diagnosis. This prodromal period of decline is characterized by a number of different neuropsychological and brain changes, and reliable identification of individuals prior to the development of significant clinical symptoms remains a top priority of research. In this review we provide an overview of those neuropsychological changes. In particular, we examine specific domains of cognition that appear to be negatively affected during the prodromal period of AD, and we review newer analytic strategies designed to examine cognitive asymmetries or discrepancies between higher-order cognitive functions versus fundamental skills. Finally, we provide a critical examination of the clinical concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment and offer suggestions for an increased focus on the impact of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risk during the prodromal period of AD.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Bondi, Mark W (MW); Jak, Amy J (AJ); Delano-Wood, Lisa (L); Jacobson, Mark W (MW); Delis, Dean C (DC); Salmon, David P (DP);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. mbondi(-atsign-)ucsd.edu

Grants: K24 AG026431 (Agency:United States NIA) ; P50 AG005131 (Agency:United States NIA) ; R01 AG012674 (Agency:United States NIA)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Review

Journal: Neuropsychology review (Neuropsychol Rev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Mar; vol 18 (issue 1) : pp 73-90

Dates: Created 2008/04/16; Completed 2008/07/09;

PMID: 18347989, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; pathology; psychology
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; pathology; psychology
Humans

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.