Baptista MAT, Lacerda IB, Belfort T, Nogueira MML, de Oliveira Silva F, Dourado MCN. Awareness of Disease and Its Domains in Young-onset and Late-onset Dementia: The Role of Executive Function.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2023;
37:200-206. [PMID:
37561987 DOI:
10.1097/wad.0000000000000561]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Executive function (EF) involves a general cognitive process linked to strategic organization and control of complex goal-oriented tasks. In young-onset dementia (YOD), especially Alzheimer's disease, the symptoms that stand out in the initial stage are deficits in attention, visual-spatial function, praxis, and language. The present study aims to investigate what components of EF differ in young and late-onset dementia (LOD) and its impact on awareness and its domains.
METHODS
Using a cross-sectional design, we included 44 people with YOD and 70 with LOD. We assessed awareness and its domains, cognition, dementia severity, EF, functionality, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
RESULTS
The YOD group was more impaired in general cognition ( P =0.017) and had a worse performance in Wechsler Digit Span Backward (DSB) ( P =0.007) and Phonemic fluency task (FAS) ( P =0.046) tests. In the LOD group, deficits in EF had a greater impact on awareness and on most domains (awareness total score, cognitive functioning and health condition, functional activity impairments and social function).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study findings support the heterogeneity of awareness, not only with regard to the difference between the domains and the measures of EF, but also to the groups studied.
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