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Joyce JL, Chapman S, Waltrip L, Caes D, Gottesman R, Rizer S, Haque H, Golfer L, Mayeux RP, D'Alton ME, Marder K, Rosser M, Cosentino S. Confronting Alzheimer's Disease Risk in Women: A Feasibility Study of Memory Screening as Part of the Annual Gynecological Well-Woman Visit. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2024; 33:1211-1218. [PMID: 38968392 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2023.0843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective: Routine health care visits offer the opportunity to screen older adults for symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many women see their gynecologist as their primary health care provider. Given this unique relationship, the Women's Preventive Services Initiative and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology advocate for integrated care of women at all ages. It is well-established that women are at increased risk for AD, and memory screening of older women should be paramount in this effort. Research is needed to determine the feasibility and value of memory screening among older women at the well-woman visit. Materials and Methods: Women aged 60 and above completed a 5-item subjective memory screener at their well-woman visit at the Columbia University Integrated Women's Health Program. Women who endorsed any item were considered to have a positive screen and were given the option to pursue clinical evaluation. Rates of positive screens, item endorsement, and referral preferences were examined. Results: Of the 530 women approached, 521 agreed to complete the screener. Of those, 17.5% (n = 91) were classified as positive. The most frequently endorsed item was difficulty with memory or thinking compared with others the same age. Among women with positive screens, 57.5% were interested in pursuing clinical referrals to a memory specialist. Conclusion: Results support the feasibility and potential value of including subjective memory screening as part of a comprehensive well-woman program. Early identification of memory loss will enable investigation into the cause of memory symptoms and longitudinal monitoring of cognitive change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian L Joyce
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Silvia Chapman
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Leah Waltrip
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dorota Caes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Reena Gottesman
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sandra Rizer
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hoosna Haque
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lauren Golfer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Richard P Mayeux
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mary E D'Alton
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Karen Marder
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mary Rosser
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stephanie Cosentino
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
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Si Y, He R, Jiang L, Yao D, Zhang H, Xu P, Ma X, Yu L, Li F. Differentiating Between Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia Based on the Resting-State Multilayer EEG Network. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2023; 31:4521-4527. [PMID: 37922187 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2023.3329174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is frequently misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to similar clinical symptoms. In this study, we constructed frequency-based multilayer resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) networks and extracted representative network features to improve the differentiation between AD and FTD. When compared with healthy controls (HC), AD showed primarily stronger delta-alpha cross-couplings and weaker theta-sigma cross-couplings. Notably, when comparing the AD and FTD groups, we found that the AD exhibited stronger delta-alpha and delta-beta connectivity than the FTD. Thereafter, by extracting the representative network features and then applying these features in the classification between AD and FTD, an accuracy of 81.1% was achieved. Finally, a multivariable linear regressive model was built, based on the differential topologies, and then adopted to predict the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale. Accordingly, the predicted and actual measured scores were indeed significantly correlated with each other ( r = 0.274, p = 0.036). These findings consistently suggest that frequency-based multilayer resting-state networks can be utilized for classifying AD and FTD and have potential applications for clinical diagnosis.
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Therrien S, Turnbull A, Anthony M, Conwell Y, Lin FV. Influence of affective states on informant impression of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people living with MCI. Aging Ment Health 2023; 27:2128-2133. [PMID: 36995269 PMCID: PMC10544672 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2191928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS; e.g. depression/apathy/irritability) causing challenges for people living with dementia/caregivers and predicting worse disease progression. Accurately assessing NPS is critical to research on AD/MCI. However, there are limitations to both self-reports and clinician evaluations; the field often relies on informants to assess NPS. Informants' perception of NPS are influenced by disease and caregiver factors that may lead to biased assessments. We aimed to assess the relationship between participants self-reported affective states (valence/arousal) and informant-reported NPS.Methods: Data from a double-blinded intervention design (primarily testing neurostimulation's effect on NPS) were used to examine the relationship between participant-reported affective states and informant-reported NPS over 1 month. Forty participants (24 females) with MCI and NPS (mean age = 71.7, SD = 7) were enrolled along with informants (primarily spouses/partners) who regularly interact with participants. NPS assessment occurred weekly and at pre- and post-intervention, and participant-reported affective states were assessed at 14 timepoints.Results: Generalized Estimating Equations showed that participant levels of arousal, but not valence, were significantly related to corresponding informant-reported NPS at weekly (arousal: B= -0.59, SE = 0.27, Wald's χ2 = 4.61, p=.032; valence: B = 0.17, SE = 0.19, Wald's χ2 = 0.80, p=.37) and pre-/post- (arousal: B= -4.00, SE = 1.58, Wald's χ2 = 6.42, p=.011; valence: B= -3.34, SE = 1.80, Wald's χ2 = 3.43, p=.06) assessments.Conclusion: The findings indicate that informant-reported NPS may be more strongly influenced by arousal, and informants may be less attuned to valence in people living with MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Therrien
- CogT Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
| | - Adam Turnbull
- CogT Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Mia Anthony
- CogT Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Yeates Conwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Feng Vankee Lin
- CogT Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
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4
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Huntley J, Bor D, Deng F, Mancuso M, Mediano PAM, Naci L, Owen AM, Rocchi L, Sternin A, Howard R. Assessing awareness in severe Alzheimer's disease. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 16:1035195. [PMID: 36819296 PMCID: PMC9930987 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1035195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need to understand the nature of awareness in people with severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) to ensure effective person-centered care. Objective biomarkers of awareness validated in other clinical groups (e.g., anesthesia, minimally conscious states) offer an opportunity to investigate awareness in people with severe AD. In this article we demonstrate the feasibility of using Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with EEG, event related potentials (ERPs) and fMRI to assess awareness in severe AD. TMS-EEG was performed in six healthy older controls and three people with severe AD. The perturbational complexity index (PCIST) was calculated as a measure of capacity for conscious awareness. People with severe AD demonstrated a PCIST around or below the threshold for consciousness, suggesting reduced capacity for consciousness. ERPs were recorded during a visual perception paradigm. In response to viewing faces, two patients with severe AD provisionally demonstrated similar visual awareness negativity to healthy controls. Using a validated fMRI movie-viewing task, independent component analysis in two healthy controls and one patient with severe AD revealed activation in auditory, visual and fronto-parietal networks. Activation patterns in fronto-parietal networks did not significantly correlate between the patient and controls, suggesting potential differences in conscious awareness and engagement with the movie. Although methodological issues remain, these results demonstrate the feasibility of using objective measures of awareness in severe AD. We raise a number of challenges and research questions that should be addressed using these biomarkers of awareness in future studies to improve understanding and care for people with severe AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Huntley
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Bor
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Feng Deng
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Global Brain Health Institute, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Marco Mancuso
- Human Neuroscience Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Pedro A. M. Mediano
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lorina Naci
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Global Brain Health Institute, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Adrian M. Owen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lorenzo Rocchi
- Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Avital Sternin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Nosheny RL, Amariglio R, Sikkes SA, Van Hulle C, Bicalho MAC, Dowling NM, Brucki SMD, Ismail Z, Kasuga K, Kuhn E, Numbers K, Aaronson A, Moretti DV, Pereiro AX, Sánchez‐Benavides G, Sellek Rodríguez AF, Urwyler P, Zawaly K. The role of dyadic cognitive report and subjective cognitive decline in early ADRD clinical research and trials: Current knowledge, gaps, and recommendations. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (NEW YORK, N. Y.) 2022; 8:e12357. [PMID: 36226046 PMCID: PMC9530696 DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Efficient identification of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in early stages of the AD disease continuum is a critical unmet need. Subjective cognitive decline is increasingly recognized as an early symptomatic stage of AD. Dyadic cognitive report, including subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) from a participant and an informant/study partner who knows the participant well, represents an accurate, reliable, and efficient source of data for assessing risk. However, the separate and combined contributions of self- and study partner report, and the dynamic relationship between the two, remains unclear. The Subjective Cognitive Decline Professional Interest Area within the Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment convened a working group focused on dyadic patterns of subjective report. Group members identified aspects of dyadic-report information important to the AD research field, gaps in knowledge, and recommendations. By reviewing existing data on this topic, we found evidence that dyadic measures are associated with objective measures of cognition and provide unique information in preclinical and prodromal AD about disease stage and progression and AD biomarker status. External factors including dyad (participant-study partner pair) relationship and sociocultural factors contribute to these associations. We recommend greater dyad report use in research settings to identify AD risk. Priority areas for future research include (1) elucidation of the contributions of demographic and sociocultural factors, dyad type, and dyad relationship to dyad report; (2) exploration of agreement and discordance between self- and study partner report across the AD syndromic and disease continuum; (3) identification of domains (e.g., memory, executive function, neuropsychiatric) that predict AD risk outcomes and differentiate cognitive impairment due to AD from other impairment; (4) development of best practices for study partner engagement; (5) exploration of study partner report as AD clinical trial endpoints; (6) continued development, validation, and optimization, of study partner report instruments tailored to the goals of the research and population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Nosheny
- University of California San FranciscoDepartment of PsychiatrySan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Veteran's Administration Advanced Research CenterSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Rebecca Amariglio
- Center for Alzheimer Research and TreatmentDepartment of NeurologyBrigham and Women's HospitalDepartment of Neurology Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sietske A.M. Sikkes
- Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of NeurologyAlzheimer Center AmsterdamNorth Hollandthe Netherlands/VU UniversityDepartment of ClinicalNeuro & Development PsychologyNorth Hollandthe Netherlands
| | - Carol Van Hulle
- Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Maria Aparecida Camargos Bicalho
- UFMG: Federal University of Minas GeraisDepartment of Clinical MedicineJenny de Andrade Faria – Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology of UFMGBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - N. Maritza Dowling
- George Washington UniversityDepartment of Acute & Chronic CareSchool of NursingDepartment of Epidemiology & BiostatisticsMilken Institute School of Public HealthWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | | | - Zahinoor Ismail
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and O'Brien Institute for Public HealthCumming School of MedicineUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlbertaCanada
| | - Kensaku Kasuga
- Department of Molecular GeneticsBrain Research InstituteNiigata UniversityNiigataJapan
| | - Elizabeth Kuhn
- UNICAEN, INSERM, PhIND “Physiopathology and Imaging of Neurological Disorders,”Institut Blood and Brain @ Caen‐NormandieNormandie UniversityCaenFrance
| | - Katya Numbers
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA)Department of PsychiatryUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Anna Aaronson
- Veteran's Administration Advanced Research CenterSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Davide Vito Moretti
- IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio FatebenefratelliAlzheimer Rehabilitation Operative UnitBresciaItaly
| | - Arturo X. Pereiro
- Faculty of PsychologyDepartment of Developmental PsychologyUniversity of Santiago de CompostelaGaliciaSpain
| | | | - Allis F. Sellek Rodríguez
- Costa Rican Foundation for the Care of Older Adults with Alzheimer's and Other Dementias (FundAlzheimer Costa Rica)CartagoCosta Rica
| | - Prabitha Urwyler
- ARTORG Center for Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of BernUniversity Neurorehabilitation UnitDepartment of NeurologyInselspitalBernSwitzerland
| | - Kristina Zawaly
- University of AucklandDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health CareSchool of Population HealthFaculty of Medical and Health SciencesAucklandNew Zealand
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6
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Zhuang K, Chen X, Cassady KE, Baker SL, Jagust WJ. Metacognition, cortical thickness, and tauopathy in aging. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 118:44-54. [PMID: 35868093 PMCID: PMC9979699 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We investigated self-rating of cognitive task performance (self-appraisal) and the difference between self-rating and actual task performance (appraisal discrepancy) in cognitively healthy older adults and their relationship with cortical thickness and Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, amyloid and tau. All participants (N = 151) underwent neuropsychological testing and 1.5T structural magnetic resonance imaging. A subset (N = 66) received amyloid-PET with [11C] PiB and tau-PET with [18F] Flortaucipir. We found that worse performers had lower self-appraisal ratings, but still overestimated their performance, consistent with the Dunning-Kruger effect. Self-appraisal rating and appraisal discrepancy revealed distinct relationships with cortical thickness and AD pathology. Greater appraisal discrepancy, indicating overestimation, was related to thinning of inferior-lateral temporal, fusiform, and rostral anterior cingulate cortices. Lower self-appraisal was associated with higher entorhinal and inferior temporal tau. These results suggest that overestimation could implicate structural atrophy beyond AD pathology, while lower self-appraisal could indicate early behavioral alteration due to AD pathology, supporting the notion of subjective cognitive decline prior to objective deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailin Zhuang
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Xi Chen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kaitlin E Cassady
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Suzanne L Baker
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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7
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O'Shaughnessy NJ, Chan JE, Bhome R, Gallagher P, Zhang H, Clare L, Sampson EL, Stone P, Huntley J. Awareness in severe Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review. Aging Ment Health 2021; 25:602-612. [PMID: 31942805 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1711859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Objective: There is limited understanding about how people in the severe stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience and demonstrate awareness. We synthesised all available evidence with the aim of understanding how awareness is preserved or impaired in severe AD and what evidence there is for different levels of awareness according to the levels of awareness framework.Method: A systematic search of the following databases: Embase, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Web of Science was carried out. A narrative synthesis and analysis was conducted of all included studies. All studies were assessed for quality using the AXIS and CASP tools.Results: Our findings suggest that lower level sensory awareness is relatively maintained in severe AD. Findings for higher level awareness are variable and this may be related to the diversity of methods that have been used to explore awareness in these circumstances.Conclusion: Awareness is complex, heterogeneous and varies significantly between individuals. Environmental and contextual factors have a significant impact on whether awareness is observed in people with severe AD. Adaptation of the environment has the potential to facilitate the expression of awareness while education of caregivers may increase understanding of people with severe AD and potentially improve the quality of care that is received.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J E Chan
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - R Bhome
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - P Gallagher
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - H Zhang
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Peking University Institute of Mental Health (Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
- Dementia Care and Research Center, Peking University Institute of Mental Health (Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | - L Clare
- Centre for Research for Ageing and Cognitive Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - E L Sampson
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - P Stone
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - J Huntley
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
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8
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Huntley JD, Fleming SM, Mograbi DC, Bor D, Naci L, Owen AM, Howard R. Understanding Alzheimer's disease as a disorder of consciousness. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (NEW YORK, N. Y.) 2021; 7:e12203. [PMID: 34877398 PMCID: PMC8630359 DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) demonstrate a range of alterations in consciousness. Changes in awareness of cognitive deficit, self-awareness, and introspection are seen early in AD, and dysfunction of awareness and arousal progresses with increasing disease severity. However, heterogeneity of deficits between individuals and a lack of empirical studies in people with severe dementia highlight the importance of identifying and applying biomarkers of awareness in AD. Impairments of awareness in AD are associated with neuropathology in regions that overlap with proposed neural correlates of consciousness. Recent developments in consciousness science provide theoretical frameworks and experimental approaches to help further understand the conscious experience of people with AD. Recognition of AD as a disorder of consciousness is overdue, and important to both understand the lived experience of people with AD and to improve care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. Huntley
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Wellcome Centre for Human NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Stephen M. Fleming
- Wellcome Centre for Human NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Experimental PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Max Planck‐UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Daniel C. Mograbi
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Daniel Bor
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Lorina Naci
- School of PsychologyGlobal Brain Health InstituteTrinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Adrian M. Owen
- Brain and Mind InstituteDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology and Department of PsychologyUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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9
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Azocar I, Livingston G, Huntley J. The Association Between Impaired Awareness and Depression, Anxiety, and Apathy in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:633081. [PMID: 33613344 PMCID: PMC7889585 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.633081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Impaired awareness of cognitive and functional deficits is a common feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although a lack of awareness has been suggested to be a protective factor against experiencing affective symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and apathy which are common in AD, there is conflicting evidence about the links between them. This systematic review examines the evidence for an association between impaired awareness and depressive, anxiety, and apathy symptoms in mild to moderate AD. Method: We searched four databases (OvidMedline, Embase, PsycInfo, and PsycArticles) using terms encompassing awareness, apathy, depression, anxiety, and mild-moderate AD. We included studies that assessed the relationship between awareness and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or apathy. We assessed included papers for quality and report results using a narrative approach, prioritizing high quality studies. Results: We identified 1,544 articles, and twenty-seven studies fulfilled inclusion criteria (high-quality = 15; moderate-quality = 12). Most high-quality studies reported that impaired awareness in early-stage AD is cross-sectionally linked with fewer depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms (correlation ranged from -0.3 to -0.7), but with more apathy. Conclusions: High-quality studies suggested that in people with early AD, impaired awareness is related to fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms and to more apathy. Future research should focus on elucidating causality among impaired awareness and these symptoms in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacia Azocar
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gill Livingston
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Huntley
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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10
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Thorsen K, Dourado MCN, Johannessen A. Awareness of dementia and coping to preserve quality of life: a five-year longitudinal narrative study. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2020; 15:1798711. [PMID: 32780653 PMCID: PMC7482873 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2020.1798711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To examine how people (<65 years) with young-onset dementia (YOD) express awareness of dementia and how they seem to handle awareness as a strategy to preserve quality of life over time. Method A longitudinal qualitative study with individuals with YOD was performed with interviews every 6 months over 5 years for a maximum of 10 interviews. The interviews were analysed by modified grounded theory adapted to narrative inquiry. Results Awareness is a complex, multidimensional concept. Awareness of dementia is predisposed by personality, life history and established coping styles. The main coping styles during dementia—live in the moment, ignore the dementia, and make the best of it—seem to be rather consistent throughout disease progression. Transitions in the life situation may change the individual’s awareness of dementia. Conclusion Unawareness of dementia may have an important adaptive function for preserving quality of life. Increasing awareness of dementia must be approached with reflexivity and great sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Thorsen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tonsberg, Norway.,Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University , Oslo, Norway
| | - Marcia C N Dourado
- Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Aud Johannessen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tonsberg, Norway.,Department of Nursing and Health, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway , Norway
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11
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Hallam B, Chan J, Gonzalez Costafreda S, Bhome R, Huntley J. What are the neural correlates of meta-cognition and anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease? A systematic review. Neurobiol Aging 2020; 94:250-264. [PMID: 32679396 PMCID: PMC7903321 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Awareness of one's own cognitive processes (metacognition) or of one's own illness or deficits (anosognosia) can be impaired in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The neural correlates of anosognosia within AD remain inconclusive. Understanding anosognosia is of importance because of its impact on carer burden and increased institutionalization. A systematic review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies was conducted to identify specific brain regions associated with anosognosia within AD. Thirty-two studies were included in the systematic review. Reduced gray matter density, cerebral blood flow, and hypometabolism in 8 key regions were significantly associated with increased anosognosia scores in people with AD. The most frequently associated regions were the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, and medial temporal lobe. Other key regions include the superior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and the insula. Identifying brain regions associated with anosognosia can aid understanding and identification of anosognosia in people with AD and potentially facilitate improvements in care. Thirty-two studies included within the systematic review. Eight key brain regions were linked with anosognosia within Alzheimer's disease. Reduced gray matter density and cerebral blood flow linked with anosognosia. More homogenous studies needed to be able to conduct meta-analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Hallam
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Justin Chan
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sergi Gonzalez Costafreda
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK; Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Rohan Bhome
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
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Abstract
End-of-life decision-making in patients with dementia is a complex topic. Belgium and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of legislative advancement and progressive societal changes concerning the perspectives toward physician-assisted death (PAD). Careful consideration of clinical and social aspects is essential during the end-of-life decision-making process in patients with dementia. Geriatric assent provides the physician, the patient and his family the opportunity to end life with dignity. Unbearable suffering, decisional competence, and awareness of memory deficits are among the clinical considerations that physicians should incorporate during the end-of-life decision-making process. However, as other societies introduce legislature granting the right of PAD, new social determinants should be considered; Mexico City is an example. Current perspectives regarding advance euthanasia directives (AED) and PAD in patients with dementia are evolving. A new perspective that hinges on the role of the family and geriatric assent should help culturally heterogeneous societies in the transition of their public health care policies regarding end-of-life choices.
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Shaked D, Sunderaraman P, Piscitello J, Cines S, Hale C, Devanand D, Karlawish J, Cosentino S. Modification of everyday activities and its association with self-awareness in cognitively diverse older adults. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222769. [PMID: 31697690 PMCID: PMC6837494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment (CI) in older adults is frequently accompanied by difficulty performing complex everyday activities (e.g., managing finances). However, it is unclear if and how older adults with CI modify their activities (i.e., Do individuals continue, monitor, seek help with, change their approach to, or stop different activities?). In the current study, we examined if older adults with CI are concerned about their ability to carry out complex activities, if and how they modify activities based on their concern, and the factors associated with activity modification. We hypothesized that older adults with CI will more frequently be concerned about, and modify, everyday activities than cognitively healthy (HE) older adults, and that higher awareness of memory loss in the CI group would relate to more frequent modification. The sample included 81 older adults (51 HEs; mean age 70.02 (7.34) and 30 CI; mean age 75.97 (8.12)). Compared to HEs, the CI group reported having more concern about, F(3,77) = 5.50, p = 0.02, and modifying a greater number of activities, F(3,77) = 5.02, p = 0.03. Medication management (30%) and completing taxes (33.3%) were among the most frequently modified activities for the CI and HE groups, respectively. In the CI group, higher memory awareness was associated with more concern (r = .53, p = .005) and activity modification (r = 0.55, p = .003). Findings provide novel information about how cognitively diverse older adults navigate complex activities in daily life. We propose a preliminary theoretical model by which self-awareness may influence navigation of everyday activities in the context of CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Shaked
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Preeti Sunderaraman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Gertrude. H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Piscitello
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Sarah Cines
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Christiane Hale
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Gertrude. H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Davangere Devanand
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Jason Karlawish
- Healthy Brain Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Gertrude. H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
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Ryals AJ, O’Neil JT, Mesulam MM, Weintraub S, Voss JL. Memory awareness disruptions in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: comparison of multiple awareness types for verbal and visuospatial material. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2019; 26:577-598. [PMID: 30080435 PMCID: PMC6453739 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2018.1503994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Successful memory is normally accompanied by explicit awareness of retrieval and confidence in the accuracy of the retrieval product. Prior findings suggest that these features of metamemory can be dissociated from retrieval accuracy in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). However, the literature on this question contains variable and conflicting results, likely because of differences in experimental conditions. We sought to systematically evaluate memory awareness disruptions in aMCI using multiple measures and stimulus formats within the same individuals. Memory awareness was tested with global predictions and postdictions, judgments of learning, confidence level ratings, and modified feeling-of-knowing ratings in tasks of visuospatial and verbal memory. These tests were administered to 14 individuals with aMCI and 15 healthy, age-matched controls. Memory awareness accuracy was calculated as the correspondence between subjective judgments and memory performance.Individuals with aMCI demonstrated impaired global and trial-level retrospective task awareness for visuospatial and verbal stimuli. Additionally, modified feeling-of-knowing awareness was impaired selectively for verbal stimuli. Statistical effect sizes for global awareness impairments were comparable to impairments in several objective neuropsychological memory assessments.Memory awareness (metamemory) disruptions in aMCI were most evident for a subset of subjective judgment types and task input modalities. These findings advance understanding of the nature of memory impairments in aMCI and support the utility of incorporating memory awareness testing to better characterize memory integrity in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan T. O’Neil
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
| | - M.-Marsel Mesulam
- Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
- Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
- Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
| | - Joel L. Voss
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
- Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL
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Mood and Personality Characteristics are Associated with Metamemory Knowledge Accuracy in a Community-Based Cohort of Older Adults. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2018; 24:498-510. [PMID: 29400264 PMCID: PMC8082693 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617717001345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Emerging work reveals the neuroanatomic changes that compromise metacognition; however, little is known about the impact of premorbid factors. Research suggests that psychological variables influence the perception of cognition, but whether they influence the accuracy of those perceptions (i.e., metacognition) has not been directly examined. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), we tested for discrete personality (NEOFFI) and mood (STAI, BDI-II, and GDS) classes among a community-based cohort of 151 older adults, enrolled in the NKI-Rockland study. Metamemory was calculated by comparing subjective memory ratings (modified Cognitive Failures Questionnaire) to objective memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) to determine the degree to which individuals were overconfident, underconfident, or accurate in their self-assessment. A generalized linear model was used to examine whether metamemory differed across the emergent classes. A one sample t test was used to determine whether the metamemory scores of the emergent classes were statistically significantly different from zero, that is, over or under confident. RESULTS Two discrete classes emerged in the LCA: Class 1 was characterized predominantly by high extraversion and conscientiousness and low neuroticism and anxiety; Class 2 was characterized predominantly by low extraversion and conscientiousness and high neuroticism and anxiety. Metamemory differed significantly as a function of Class Membership (F(4,151)=5.42; p<.001), with Class 1 demonstrating accurate metamemory (M=0.21; SD=1.31) and Class 2 demonstrating under-confidence (M=-0.59; SD=1.39) in their memory. CONCLUSIONS The significant association between psychological factors and metamemory knowledge accuracy suggests that such characteristics may be important to consider in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of metacognitive disturbances. (JINS, 2018, 24, 498-510).
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Chapman S, Colvin LE, Vuorre M, Cocchini G, Metcalfe J, Huey ED, Cosentino S. Cross domain self-monitoring in anosognosia for memory loss in Alzheimer's disease. Cortex 2018. [PMID: 29518705 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Anosognosia for memory loss is a common feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent theories have proposed that anosognosia, a disruption in awareness at a global level, may reflect specific deficits in self-monitoring, or local awareness. Though anosognosia for memory loss has been shown to relate to memory self-monitoring, it is not clear if it relates to self-monitoring deficits in other domains (i.e., motor). The current study examined this question by analyzing the relationship between anosognosia for memory loss, memory monitoring, and motor monitoring in 35 individuals with mild to moderate AD. Anosognosia was assessed via clinical interview before participants completed a metamemory task to measure memory monitoring, and a computerized agency task to measure motor monitoring. Cognitive and psychological measures included memory, executive functions, and mood. Memory monitoring was associated with motor monitoring; however, anosognosia was associated only with memory monitoring, and not motor monitoring. Cognition and mood related differently to each measure of self-awareness. Results are interpreted within a hierarchical model of awareness in which local self-monitoring processes are associated across domain, but appear to only contribute to a global level awareness in a domain-specific fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Chapman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Leigh E Colvin
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Matti Vuorre
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gianna Cocchini
- Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Janet Metcalfe
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Edward D Huey
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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Azar M, Zhu C, DeFeis B, Gu Y, Ornstein K, Lawless S, Cosentino S. Increased Reporting Accuracy of Alzheimer Disease Symptoms in Caribbean Hispanic Informants. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2017; 31:328-334. [PMID: 28557843 PMCID: PMC5699953 DOI: 10.1097/wad.0000000000000199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Informant report of symptoms is essential for diagnosing and characterizing Alzheimer disease (AD). Differences in the perception and experience of dementia across ethnicities may influence informant report. Understanding such differences is critical given that among those with AD, Hispanics are disproportionately affected. METHODS Cross-sectional analyses examined informant report of cognitive and functional symptoms in mild AD across white (n=107) and Caribbean Hispanic (n=71) informants. To explore its accuracy, informant report of symptoms was compared against objective measures of patient performance. RESULTS Adjusted analyses revealed Hispanics reported more symptoms than white informants. Informant report of symptoms was inversely correlated with patients' global cognition in both ethnic groups. Only Hispanic report of symptoms was significantly associated with memory and language performance. DISCUSSION Informant report of symptoms was associated with patients' global cognition, reflecting relatively accurate informant reports in both ethnic groups, and was stronger in Hispanics when examining memory and language. Such differences may reflect cultural caregiving practices and perceptions of dementia, having implications for diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Azar
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center
| | - Carolyn Zhu
- Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY
| | - Brittany DeFeis
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center
| | - Yian Gu
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center
| | - Katherine Ornstein
- Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY
| | - Siobhan Lawless
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center
| | - Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center
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Fitzgerald LM, Arvaneh M, Dockree PM. Domain-specific and domain-general processes underlying metacognitive judgments. Conscious Cogn 2017; 49:264-277. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Bertrand E, Landeira-Fernandez J, Mograbi DC. Metacognition and Perspective-Taking in Alzheimer's Disease: A Mini-Review. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1812. [PMID: 27909421 PMCID: PMC5112262 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Metacognition refers to the monitoring and regulation of cognitive processes and its impairment can lead to a lack of self-awareness of deficits, or anosognosia. In the context of different neurological and psychiatric disorders (e.g., traumatic brain injury, dementia, and schizophrenia), studies have shown that patients who present impairments in metacognitive abilities may be able to recognize such difficulties in others and in themselves when exposed to material in a third-person perspective. Considering that metacognitive impairments are an important characteristic of dementia, especially in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), studies of the relationship between metacognition and perspective-taking may be relevant to improve the quality of life of people with dementia. The current paper first briefly addresses the theme of metacognition and the impact of metacognitive deficits in people with AD. The focus then turns to the relationship between metacognition and perspective-taking in different neurological and psychiatric disorders, particularly AD. This relationship is also discussed based on theoretical models, particularly the Cognitive Awareness Model (CAM). Specifically, the CAM suggests the existence of distinct memory systems for self- and other-information, an idea which is supported by neuroimaging findings. We suggest that the Default Mode Network, as it has been shown to be implicated in self vs. other processing and is affected early in AD, could explain the impact of perspective-taking on awareness of deficits in AD. Finally, we present possible clinical implications of the relationship between metacognition and perspective-taking in AD. Indeed, we considered the possibility of improving patient's awareness through the use of a third-person perspective, which, consequently, may decrease the negative impacts of anosognosia in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Bertrand
- Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jesus Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniel C. Mograbi
- Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondon, UK
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Differences in knowledge of dementia among older adults with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia: A representative nationwide sample of Korean elders. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2016; 66:82-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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DeLozier SJ, Davalos D. A Systematic Review of Metacognitive Differences Between Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2016; 31:381-8. [PMID: 26705377 PMCID: PMC10852932 DOI: 10.1177/1533317515618899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2024]
Abstract
Clinicians often have difficulty distinguishing between various forms of dementia to achieve a correct diagnosis. Little research has been done to examine whether awareness of one's cognitive deficits, or metacognitive monitoring, might differ between dementia diagnoses, thereby providing an additional means of differentiating between dementia subtypes. We review articles examining metacognitive comparisons between two of the most common dementia subtypes: Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Greater monitoring deficits were apparent in frontotemporal dementia than in Alzheimer's disease, and participants with frontotemporal dementia were less likely to utilize task experience to update and improve the accuracy of subsequent monitoring judgments. Results provide evidence for the utility of metacognitive measures as a means of distinguishing between Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.
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Fragkiadaki S, Kontaxopoulou D, Beratis IN, Andronas N, Economou A, Yannis G, Papanicolaou A, Papageorgiou SG. Self-awareness of cognitive efficiency: Differences between healthy elderly and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2016; 38:1144-57. [PMID: 27396414 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2016.1198469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Self-estimation of performance implies the ability to understand one's own performance with relatively objective terms. Up to date, few studies have addressed this topic in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. The aim of the present study was to compare objective measures of performance with subjective perception of specific performance on cognitive tests and investigate differences in assessment between MCI patients and healthy elderly. METHOD Thirty-five participants diagnosed with MCI (women = 16, men = 19, mean age = 65.09 years ±SD = 7.81, mean education = 12.83 years ±SD = 4.32) and 35 control subjects similar in terms of age and education (women = 20, men = 15, mean age = 62.46 years ± SD = 9.35, mean education = 14.26 ± SD = 2.84) were examined with an extended battery of neuropsychological tests. After every test they were asked to self-evaluate their performance by comparing it to what they considered as average for people of their age and educational level. This self-evaluation was reported on a scale ranging from -100 to +100. RESULTS Significant differences were found in the self-assessment patterns of the two groups in memory measures of verbal and visual delayed recall, visuospatial perception, and tests of attention. MCI patients overestimated their performance on every cognitive domain while control participants underestimated their performance on measures of verbal memory. CONCLUSIONS The present results indicate that accuracy of self-report is not uniform across groups and functional areas. The discrepancies in the MCI patients indicate unawareness of their memory deficits, which is contradictory to subjective memory complaints as being an important component for clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Fragkiadaki
- a Cognitive Disorders/Dementia Unit, 2nd Department of Neurology , University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital , Athens , Greece
| | - Dionysia Kontaxopoulou
- a Cognitive Disorders/Dementia Unit, 2nd Department of Neurology , University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital , Athens , Greece
| | - Ion N Beratis
- a Cognitive Disorders/Dementia Unit, 2nd Department of Neurology , University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital , Athens , Greece
| | - Nikolaos Andronas
- a Cognitive Disorders/Dementia Unit, 2nd Department of Neurology , University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital , Athens , Greece
| | - Alexandra Economou
- b Department of Psychology , University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis , Athens , Greece
| | - George Yannis
- c National Technical University of Athens, School of Civil Engineering , Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering , Athens , Greece
| | | | - Sokratis G Papageorgiou
- a Cognitive Disorders/Dementia Unit, 2nd Department of Neurology , University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital , Athens , Greece
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Difficulty, effort and cardiovascular response to a working memory challenge: Older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. Int J Psychophysiol 2016; 104:53-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Cines S, Farrell M, Steffener J, Sullo L, Huey T, Karlawish J, Cosentino S. Examining the Pathways Between Self-Awareness and Well-Being in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2015; 23:1297-1306. [PMID: 26560509 PMCID: PMC4653086 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2015.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between awareness of memory loss and psychological well-being in a nonclinically depressed sample of participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS Study participants (N = 104) enrolled through Columbia University Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania completed clinical and cognitive assessments. Participants were rated with regard to their degree of awareness of memory deficits and completed questionnaires relating to their psychological well-being, including mood and quality of life (QOL). Mediating models were used to establish the relationship between awareness, depression, and QOL and to examine potential mediators of awareness and depression, including psychological distress, objective memory deficits, and negative self-ratings. RESULTS There was a direct association between awareness of memory deficits and depressed mood but not awareness and QOL. However, there was an indirect association between awareness and QOL through depression. Neither psychological distress, memory deficits, nor negative self-ratings mediated the relationship between awareness and depression. CONCLUSION Awareness is associated with depressed mood in nonclinically depressed participants with mild to moderate AD. However, depressed mood does not appear to reflect the direct psychological reaction to awareness of memory loss. Moreover, awareness has only an indirect association with QOL via depressed mood. These results suggest that preserved awareness does not have a direct negative impact on overall psychological well-being in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Cines
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Meagan Farrell
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jason Steffener
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | | | - Ted Huey
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
,Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jason Karlawish
- Departments of Medicine and Medical Ethics, Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Institute on Aging, and Center for Health Incentives, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; The G.H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.
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Berlingeri M, Ravasio A, Cranna S, Basilico S, Sberna M, Bottini G, Paulesu E. Unrealistic representations of “the self”: A cognitive neuroscience assessment of anosognosia for memory deficit. Conscious Cogn 2015; 37:160-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Gifford KA, Liu D, Damon SM, Chapman WG, Romano Iii RR, Samuels LR, Lu Z, Jefferson AL. Subjective memory complaint only relates to verbal episodic memory performance in mild cognitive impairment. J Alzheimers Dis 2015; 44:309-18. [PMID: 25281602 DOI: 10.3233/jad-140636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cognitive concern from the patient, informant, or clinician is required for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI); however, the cognitive and neuroanatomical correlates of complaint are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE We assessed how self-complaint relates to cognitive and neuroimaging measures in older adults with MCI. METHOD MCI participants were drawn from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and dichotomized into two groups based on the presence of self-reported memory complaint (no complaint n = 191, 77 ± 7 years; complaint n = 206, 73 ± 8 years). Cognitive outcomes included episodic memory, executive functioning, information processing speed, and language. Imaging outcomes included regional lobar volumes (frontal, parietal, temporal, cingulate) and specific medial temporal lobe structures (hippocampal volume, entorhinal cortex thickness, parahippocampal gyrus thickness). RESULTS Linear regressions, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, Mini-Mental State Examination score, mood, and apolipoprotein E4 status, found that cognitive complaint related to immediate (β = -1.07, p < 0.001) and delayed episodic memory performances assessed on a serial list learning task (β = -1.06, p = 0.001) but no other cognitive measures or neuroimaging markers. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported memory concern was unrelated to structural neuroimaging markers of atrophy and measures of information processing speed, executive functioning, or language. In contrast, subjective memory complaint related to objective verbal episodic learning performance. Future research is warranted to better understand the relation between cognitive complaint and surrogate markers of abnormal brain aging, including Alzheimer's disease, across the cognitive aging spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Dandan Liu
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Stephen M Damon
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - William G Chapman
- Department of Psychology and Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raymond R Romano Iii
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lauren R Samuels
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Zengqi Lu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Angela L Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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Rosen HJ, Alcantar O, Zakrzewski J, Shimamura AP, Neuhaus J, Miller BL. Metacognition in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology 2014; 28:436-47. [PMID: 24548124 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Impaired self-awareness is characteristic of nearly all dementias, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the deficit is most severe in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). The prominence of frontal pathology in bvFTD suggests that failure of online monitoring, the process by which individuals monitor their own cognitive processing in real time, is an important contributor. Metacognitive research offers several approaches to measure self-assessment, some more and others less sensitive to online monitoring. The goal of this study was to assess metacognition in bvFTD using several approaches, and to compare the results with those in AD. METHOD We examined metacognition in 12 patients with bvFTD, 14 with AD, and 35 healthy controls using feeling of knowing (FOK), ease of learning (EOL), judgment of learning (JOL), and retrospective confidence rating (CR) tasks, as well as response to feedback about performance. RESULTS BvFTD and AD were both impaired at FOK compared with controls, although AD showed some sparing. Both groups were similarly impaired at CR and neither group was impaired at JOL after accounting for memory performance. Most striking, bvFTD patients failed to appropriately adjust their predictions about future memory performance even after receiving explicit feedback that they had performed worse than they expected. CONCLUSIONS Both bvFTD and AD show deficits in online monitoring, although the deficit appears more severe in bvFTD. The insensitivity of bvFTD patients to overt feedback may point to unique mechanisms, possibly frontally mediated, that add to their severe lack of self-awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard J Rosen
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco
| | - Oscar Alcantar
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco
| | | | | | - John Neuhaus
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco
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Clinical correlates of awareness for balance, function, and memory: evidence for the modality specificity of awareness. J Aging Res 2014; 2014:674716. [PMID: 24551452 PMCID: PMC3914567 DOI: 10.1155/2014/674716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2013] [Revised: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Awareness in dementia is increasingly recognized not only as multifactorial, but also as domain specific. We demonstrate differential clinical correlates for awareness of daily function, awareness of memory, and the novel exploration of awareness of balance. Awareness of function was higher for participants with mild cognitive impairment (aMCI and non-aMCI) than for those with dementia (due to Alzheimer disease; AD and non-AD), whereas awareness of memory was higher for both non-aMCI and non-AD dementia patients than for those with aMCI or AD. Balance awareness did not differ based on diagnostic subgroup. Awareness of function was associated with instrumental activities of daily living and caregiver burden. In contrast, awareness of balance was associated with fall history, balance confidence, and instrumental activities of daily living. Clinical correlates of awareness of memory depended on diagnostic group: associations held with neuropsychological variables for non-AD dementia, but for patients with AD dementia, depression and instrumental activities of daily living were clinical correlates of memory awareness. Together, these data provide support for the hypothesis that awareness and dementia are not unitary and are, instead, modality specific.
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Szajer J, Murphy C. Education level predicts retrospective metamemory accuracy in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2013; 35:971-82. [PMID: 24131064 PMCID: PMC3909664 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2013.844771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigated the effect of education on retrospective metamemory accuracy in 143 healthy older adults and 143 early to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, using retrospective measures of confidence in the accuracy of retrieval responses in an episodic odor recognition memory task. Relative confidence accuracy was computed as the difference between confidence judgments for correct and incorrect responses. In both AD patients and controls, individuals reporting 17 years of education or more had significantly more accurate levels of confidence than individuals with 12 years or less. Thus, education was a significant predictor of retrospective metamemory accuracy in healthy aging and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn Szajer
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
| | - Claire Murphy
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego, Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA
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Helmes E, Norton MC, Østbye T. Personality change in older adults with dementia: Occurrence and association with severity of cognitive impairment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.4236/aar.2013.21004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Benefits of order: the influence of item sequencing on metacognition in moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2012; 18:379-83. [PMID: 22317853 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617711001846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The ability to appraise one's own ability has been found to have an important role in the recovery and quality of life of clinical populations. Examinee and task variables have been found to influence metacognition in healthy students; however the effect of these variables on the metacognitive accuracy of adults with neurological insult, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), remains unknown. Twenty-two adults with moderate and severe TBI and a matched sample of healthy adults participated in this study examining the influence of item sequencing on metacognitive functioning. Retrospective confidence judgments were collected while participants completed a modified version of the Matrix Reasoning subtest. Significant influence of item sequence order was found, revealing better metacognitive abilities and performance when participants completed tasks where item difficulty progressed in order from easy to difficult. We interpret these findings to suggest that the sequencing of item difficulty offers "anchors" for gauging and adjusting to task demands.
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Cosentino S, Metcalfe J, Holmes B, Steffener J, Stern Y. Finding the self in metacognitive evaluations: metamemory and agency in nondemented elders. Neuropsychology 2012; 25:602-12. [PMID: 21728426 DOI: 10.1037/a0023972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Metacognitive methodologies are used to examine the integrity of self-referential processing in healthy adults and have been implemented to study disorders of the self-concept in neurologic and psychiatric populations. However, the extent to which metacognitive evaluations assess a uniquely self-evaluative capacity that cannot be explained fully by primary cognitive functions, demographics, or mood is not clear. The objective of the current study was to examine whether metamemory and a metacognitive test of agency shared a self-referential association that would not be explained by cognition, demographics, or mood. METHOD Thirty-eight nondemented older adults (Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] ≥24 and mean age = 68.13) participated in metacognitive testing and completed cognitive testing and mood questionnaires. Bivariate correlations were used to evaluate the association between metamemory and agency, and to determine the cognitive (memory, attention, and executive functioning), demographic (age and education), and mood (anxiety and depression) correlates of each. Correlates of metamemory and agency were then entered into linear regression models to determine whether any association between metacognitive measures remained. RESULTS Metamemory was associated with agency judgments (n = 27), specifically those on self-controlled rather than computer-controlled trials (r = .41, p = .03). Regression results supported a role for agency in predicting metamemory, above and beyond memory and education (β = .39, p = .034). Metamemory was also an independent predictor of agency judgments (β = .36, p = .049). CONCLUSIONS The interrelation between metamemory and agency judgments suggests that metacognitive testing captures an important aspect of self-referential processing not otherwise assessed in a standard cognitive evaluation and may provide unique information about self-evaluative capacities in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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Zamboni G, Wilcock G. Lack of awareness of symptoms in people with dementia: the structural and functional basis. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2011; 26:783-92. [PMID: 21744382 DOI: 10.1002/gps.2620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2010] [Accepted: 07/20/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To review studies investigating the brain correlates of unawareness of cognitive and behavioural symptoms in people with dementia. DESIGN A detailed search of the literature was conducted to include all the peer-reviewed studies published in English aimed at identifying the structural or functional brain correspondents of unawareness in dementia patients. Their results were interpreted in relation to the methodological differences in terms of type of dementia studied, the protocol adopted to measure lack of awareness, the imaging techniques employed, the experimental designs and statistical analyses performed. RESULTS Eighteen studies undertaken to explore the functional and structural correlates of unawareness of cognitive symptoms in dementia were identified. Although their results showed a disparate range of brain correlates, they were mainly localized in frontal and temporo-parietal regions. CONCLUSIONS Although the anatomical correlates of unawareness of disease in dementia have not yet been exhaustively explored, understanding the correlates of unawareness may also contribute to understand the brain correlates of self-awareness and self-reflection. We discuss the current knowledge base and consider potential future directions for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Zamboni
- OPTIMA Project, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK; FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, UK.
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Abstract
The ability to engage in self-reflective processes is a capacity that may be disrupted after neurological compromise; research to date has demonstrated that patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) show reduced awareness of their deficits and functional ability compared to caretaker or clinician reports. Assessment of awareness of deficit, however, has been limited by the use of subjective measures (without comparison to actual performance) that are susceptible to report bias. This study used concurrent measurements from cognitive testing and confidence judgments about performance to investigate in-the-moment metacognitive experiences after moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. Deficits in metacognitive accuracy were found in adults with TBI for some but not all indices, suggesting that metacognition may not be a unitary construct. Findings also revealed that not all indices of executive functioning reliably predict metacognitive ability.
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Abstract
Patients with neurological disorders are often partially or completely unaware of the deficits caused by their disease. This impairment is referred to as anosognosia, and it is very common in neurodegenerative disease, particularly in frontotemporal dementia. Anosognosia has significant impacts on function and quality of life for patients with neurodegenerative disease and their caregivers, but the phenomenon has received little formal study, especially in non-Alzheimer's (non-AD) dementias. Furthermore, few studies have attempted to systematically verify the potential role of specific cognitive impairments in producing anosognosia. As a result, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. Episodic memory likely plays an important role. In addition, the frontal lobe systems are important for intact self-awareness, but the most relevant frontal functions have not been identified. Motivation required to engage in self-monitoring and emotional activation marking errors as significant are often-overlooked aspects of performance monitoring that may underlie anosognosia in some patients. The present review offers a working model that incorporates these functions and stipulates specific processes that may be important for awareness of changes in one's abilities. Specification of the specific processes whose potential failure results in anosognosia can establish a roadmap for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard J Rosen
- UCSF Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Cosentino S, Metcalfe J, Cary MS, De Leon J, Karlawish J. Memory Awareness Influences Everyday Decision Making Capacity about Medication Management in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2011; 2011:483897. [PMID: 21660200 PMCID: PMC3109698 DOI: 10.4061/2011/483897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2010] [Revised: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 03/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory awareness in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) influences capacity to provide informed consent for a memory treatment. This study investigated the extent to which aspects of memory awareness influence everyday decision-making capacity about medication management in AD. 42 participants with mild AD and 50 healthy elders underwent clinical ratings of memory awareness, metamemory testing, and an interview of everyday decision-making capacity regarding medication management. 45% of AD subjects were classified as aware (AAD) and 55% as unaware (UAD) based on clinical ratings and supported by metamemory testing (P = .015). Capacity was impaired in each of the AD groups as compared to the healthy elders F(2, 67) = 17.63, UAD, P < .01; AAD, P = .01). Within the AD group, capacity correlated selectively with awareness as measured with clinical ratings (r = -.41, P = .007) but not objective metamemory testing (r = -.10, P = .60 ). Appreciation scores were lower in UAD as compared with AAD F(1,35) = 8.36, P = .007. Unawareness of memory loss should heighten clinicians' concern about everyday decision-making capacity in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, and the Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 West 168th Street, P&S Mailbox 16, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Tremont G, Alosco ML. Relationship between cognition and awareness of deficit in mild cognitive impairment. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2011; 26:299-306. [PMID: 20623477 DOI: 10.1002/gps.2529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although anosognosia is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD), limited research has investigated awareness among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The current study examined cognitive performance differences between MCI patients who were aware or unaware of their deficits. METHODS Participants were 65 patients who underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and diagnosed with MCI according to Petersen's criteria. Participants were divided into groups based on clinician rating of awareness (aware n=30 or unaware n=35), which was determined following interview with the patient and family member. Neuropsychological measures were converted into z-scores based on sample mean and standard deviation and averaged across cognitive domains. Frontal behavioral ratings were also collected. RESULTS No significant differences were found between awareness groups for age, education, gender, or MMSE score. Individuals rated as unaware performed significantly worse in the learning domain and a trend for worse performance on the Dementia Rating Scale-II total score than those rated as aware. None of the other cognitive or behavioral domains differed between the groups. Clinician and informant ratings of anosognosia were only modestly correlated, and we found an unexpected pattern of relationships between informant ratings and cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS Awareness deficits are common in MCI patients. Our results argue against the most common etiologic hypotheses in AD (i.e., executive and right hemisphere) and suggest that severity of encoding deficits underlie anosognosia in MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Tremont
- Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
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Okonkwo OC, Spitznagel MB, Alosco ML, Tremont G. Associations among measures of awareness of cognitive deficits in dementia. Alzheimers Dement 2010; 6:312-8. [PMID: 20630413 DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2009.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2008] [Revised: 06/17/2009] [Accepted: 06/26/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Awareness of deficits is a complex phenomenon. In this study, we examined the relationships among various measures of awareness of cognitive deficits in dementia, and investigated the unique association between clinician ratings and alternative approaches to assessing awareness. METHODS Participants included 108 patients with very mild (n = 50) or mild (n = 58) dementia. Awareness of cognitive difficulties was assessed by clinician ratings, informant ratings, patients' reports of cognitive difficulties, discrepancies between patients' and informants' reports of cognitive difficulties, and patients' perceptions of performance on neuropsychological tests. Correlational analyses were used to assess associations among these measures of awareness, and ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the unique relationship between clinician ratings of awareness and the other approaches. RESULTS All measures of awareness were significantly correlated with one another. Coefficients ranged from 0.26 to -0.64. Patients categorized as unaware by either clinicians or informants reported fewer cognitive difficulties. Of the awareness measures evaluated, clinician ratings had the strongest correlation with measures of global cognition. In the regression analysis, only informant global ratings and patients' reports of cognitive difficulties were significantly associated with clinician ratings. The model's classification accuracy was satisfactory for patients in the "intact awareness" and "severe unawareness" categories, but not for those in the "mild unawareness" category. CONCLUSIONS Although measures of awareness likely share overlapping variance, they are not interchangeable. Each potentially elucidates unique aspects of the complex phenomenon of awareness, with clinician assessment being the most suited for ambiguous cases. When clinician assessment is not feasible, informant rating (but not patient-informant discrepancy) would be a valid substitute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozioma C Okonkwo
- Neuropsychology Program, Brown Medical School, Brown University, and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
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Long-term Stability and Variability in Memory Compensation among Older Adults: Evidence from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2009. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2009.01091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Shibata K, Narumoto J, Kitabayashi Y, Ushijima Y, Fukui K. Correlation between anosognosia and regional cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett 2008; 435:7-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.01.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2007] [Revised: 01/09/2008] [Accepted: 01/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
This article explores the subjective experience of cognitive deficits of patients who are treated with electroconvulsive therapy, by using actual comments made in clinical situations. The material is divided into 4 themes: the need for clear information, the importance of validation of experience, the impact of daily disruptions, and the issue of self-esteem. It is argued that despite the low correlation which exists between objectively measured cognitive function and the subjectively experienced impairment, the discrepancy creates a need to take both perspectives into consideration rather than to rely on one or the other. The validity and limitations of using personal narrative as a relevant clinical parameter are discussed.
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Cosentino S, Metcalfe J, Butterfield B, Stern Y. Objective metamemory testing captures awareness of deficit in Alzheimer's disease. Cortex 2007; 43:1004-19. [PMID: 17941356 DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70697-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
For reasons that remain unknown, there is marked inter-person variability in awareness of episodic memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Existing research designs, primarily subjective in nature, have been at a relative disadvantage for evaluating disordered metamemory and its relation to the clinical and neuropathological heterogeneity of AD, as well as its prognosis for various disease outcomes. The current study sought to establish an objective means of evaluating metamemory in AD by modifying traditional metacognitive paradigms in which participants are asked to make predictions regarding their own memory performance. Variables derived from this measure were analyzed in relation to clinically rated awareness for memory loss. As predicted, a range of awareness levels existed across patients with mild to moderate AD (n=24) and clinical ratings of awareness (CRA) were significantly associated with verbal episodic memory monitoring (r = .46, p = .03). Further, patients who were rated as aware of their memory loss remained well calibrated over the course of the task whereas those rated as relatively unaware grew over-confident in their predictions [F (1, 33) = 4.19, p = .02]. Findings suggest that over-confidence may be related to impaired online error recognition and compromised use of metamemory strategies such as the Memory for Past Test (MPT) heuristic. Importantly, clinically rated awareness did not vary as a function of demographic variables, global cognition, or verbal memory. However, participants characterized as relatively unaware were impaired on a nonverbal memory task as compared to aware participants [F (1, 20) = 6.98, p = .02]. The current study provides preliminary support for the use of a recognition-based verbal episodic memory monitoring task as a quantitative measure of awareness for memory loss in AD, and offers insight into the manner in which metamemory breaks down. Discrepancies in nonverbal memory across the two awareness groups provide preliminary support for the idea that metamemory variability in AD may be related to the neuroanatomic presentation of the disease, with disordered awareness potentially reflective of a critical level of right hemisphere involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Cosentino
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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