Psychiatry Investig.  2018 Sep;15(9):869-875. 10.30773/pi.2018.07.29.1.

Pre-Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can Visual Memory Predict Who Rapidly Convert to Mild Cognitive Impairment?

• Seo EH
• Kim H
• Choi KY
• Lee KH
• Choo IH

• KMID: 2424019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2018.07.29.1

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Little is known about the natural course of pre-mild cognitive impairment (pre-MCI) and predictors to MCI. We followed-up individuals with pre-MCI and cognitively normal (CN) elders to identify neuropsychological predictors for rapid conversion to MCI.
METHODS
Seventy-seven individuals with pre-MCI and 180 CN elders were recruited from the pool of individuals registered at the National Research Center for Dementia in Gwangju, Korea. We followed-up with them after a mean of 14±2.29 months. All participants underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessment. Logistic regression analysis examined the ability of neuropsychological tests to predict conversions to MCI.
RESULTS
Of 257 participants, 142 (55.3%) were eligible for the follow-up study (102 CN, 40 pre-MCI). Logistic regression revealed that spatial delayed recall significantly predicted the conversion from pre-MCI to MCI. In CN, copy for a complex figure significantly predicted the conversion to pre-MCI or MCI.
CONCLUSION
Our findings indicated that spatial delayed recall was associated with rapid conversion from pre-MCI to MCI. Spatial organization and planning, measured by complex figure reproduction, were associated with rapid conversion from CN to pre-MCI or MCI. Our study suggests that inclusion of visuospatial reproduction and memory using a complex figure further facilitates early detection of MCI.

Keyword

Mild cognitive impairment; Pre-mild cognitive impairment; Early diagnosis; Alzheimer disease; Spatial memory

MeSH Terms

Alzheimer Disease
Cognition Disorders*
Dementia
Early Diagnosis
Follow-Up Studies
Gwangju
Korea
Logistic Models
Memory*
Mild Cognitive Impairment*
Neuropsychological Tests
Reproduction
Spatial Memory