A pilot study on utility of Malayalam version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination in detection of amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A critical insight into utility of learning and recall measures

Neuromark PET: A multivariate method for Estimating and comparing whole brain functional networks and connectomes from fMRI and PET data

Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are both widely used neuroimaging techniques to study brain function. Although whole brain resting functional MRI (fMRI) connectomes are widely used, the integration or association of whole brain functional connectomes with PET data are rarely done. This likely stems from the fact that PET data is typically analyzed by using a regions of interest approach, while whole brain spatial networks and their connectivity (covariation) receive much less attention. As a result, to date, there have been no direct comparisons between whole brain PET and fMRI connectomes. In this study, we present a method that uses spatially constrained independent component analysis (scICA) to estimate corresponding PET and fMRI connectomes and examine the relationship between them using mild cognitive impairment (MCI) datasets. Our results demonstrate highly modularized PET connectome patterns that complement those identified from resting fMRI. In particular, fMRI showed strong intra-domain connectivity with interdomain anticorrelation in sensorimotor and visual domains as well as default mode network. PET amyloid data showed similar strong intra-domain effects, but showed much higher correlations within cognitive control and default mode domains, as well as anticorrelation between cerebellum and other domains. The estimated PET networks have similar, but not identical, network spatial patterns to the resting fMRI networks, with the PET networks being slightly smoother and, in some cases, showing variations in subnodes. We also analyzed the differences between individuals with MCI receiving medication versus a placebo. Results show both common and modality specific treatment effects on fMRI and PET connectomes. From our fMRI analysis, we observed higher activation differences in various regions, such as the connection between the thalamus and middle occipital gyrus, as well as the insula and right middle occipital gyrus. Meanwhile, the PET analysis revealed increased activation between the anterior cingulate cortex and the left inferior parietal lobe, along with other regions, in individuals who received medication versus placebo. In sum, our novel approach identifies corresponding whole-brain PET and fMRI networks and connectomes. While we observed common patterns of network connectivity, our analysis of the MCI treatment and placebo groups revealed that each modality identifies a unique set of networks, highlighting differences between the two groups.

Epidemiology of Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in the Kerala Einstein Study: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The southern India state of Kerala has among the highest proportion of older adults in its population in the country. An increase in chronic age-related diseases such as dementia is expected in the older Kerala population. Identifying older individuals early in the course of cognitive decline offers the best hope of introducing preventive measures early and planning management. However, the epidemiology and pathogenesis of predementia syndromes at the early stages of cognitive decline in older adults are not well established in India.

OBJECTIVE

The Kerala Einstein Study (KES) is a community-based cohort study that was established in 2008 and is based in the Kozhikode district in Kerala state. KES aims to establish risk factors and brain substrates of motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a predementia syndrome characterized by the presence of slow gait and subjective cognitive concerns in individuals without dementia or disability. This protocol describes the study design and procedures for this KES project.

METHODS

KES is proposing to enroll a sample of 1000 adults ≥60 years old from urban and rural areas in the Kozhikode district of Kerala state: 200 recruited in the previous phase of KES and 800 new participants to be recruited in this project. MCR is the cognitive phenotype of primary interest. The associations between previously established risk factors for dementia as well as novel risk factors (apathy and traumatic brain injury) and MCR will be examined in KES. Risk factor profiles for MCR will be compared between urban and rural residents as well as with individuals who meet the criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cognitive and physical function, medical history and medications, sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle patterns, and activities of daily living will be evaluated. Participants will also undergo magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiogram investigations. Longitudinal follow-up is planned in a subset of participants as a prelude to future longitudinal studies.

RESULTS

KES (2R01AG039330-07) was funded by the US National Institutes of Health in September 2019 and received approval from the Indian Medical Council of Research to start the study in June 2021. We had recruited 433 new participants from urban and rural sites in Kozhikode as of May 2023: 41.1% (178/433) women, 67.7% (293/433) rural residents, and 13.4% (58/433) MCR cases. Enrollment is actively ongoing at all the KES recruitment sites.

CONCLUSIONS

KES will provide new insights into risk factors and brain substrates associated with MCR in India and will help guide future development of regionally specific preventive interventions for dementia.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/49933.

The effect of script reform on levels of orthographic knowledge: Evidence from alphasyllabary Malayalam scripts

This study explores the idea of the two levels of orthographic knowledge, i.e. lexical and sublexical; in particular, how these levels are affected in the case of the Indian language Malayalam that went through a script reform in 1971. Through reading and writings tasks, we compare the performance of elderly participants who gained literacy in the traditional script (with complex ligatures), with younger participants who gained literacy in the reformed script (with simpler glyphs). Both the groups read text faster in reformed script indicating script simplification was beneficial. While writing, the elderly participants largely employed the traditional script and younger ones used the reformed script. The study provides proof from non-European alphabet that orthographic knowledge indeed has two independent but related levels. Although a change in script affects both the levels, sublexical one seems more resistant to change, possibly due to less opportunities to update it.

Cerebellar and basal ganglia structural connections in humans: Effect of aging and relation with memory and learning

Introduction

The cerebellum and basal ganglia were initially considered anatomically distinct regions, each connected via thalamic relays which project to the same cerebral cortical targets, such as the motor cortex. In the last two decades, transneuronal viral transport studies in non-human primates showed bidirectional connections between the cerebellum and basal ganglia at the subcortical level, without involving the cerebral cortical motor areas. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. While these subcortical connections were established in smaller studies on humans, their evolution with natural aging is less understood.

Methods

In this study, we validated and expanded the previous findings of the structural connectivity within the cerebellum-basal ganglia subcortical network, in a larger dataset of 64 subjects, across different age ranges. Tractography and fixel-based analysis were performed on the 3 T diffusion-weighted dataset using Mrtrix3 software, considering fiber density and cross-section as indicators of axonal integrity. Tractography of the well-established cerebello-thalamo-cortical tract was conducted as a control. We tested the relationship between the structural white matter integrity of these connections with aging and with the performance in different domains of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination.

Results

Tractography analysis isolated connections from the dentate nucleus to the contralateral putamen via the thalamus, and reciprocal tracts from the subthalamic nucleus to the contralateral cerebellar cortex via the pontine nuclei. Control tracts of cerebello-thalamo-cortical tracts were also isolated, including associative cerebello-prefrontal tracts. A negative linear relationship was found between the fiber density of both the ascending and descending cerebellum-basal ganglia tracts and age. Considering the cognitive assessments, the fiber density values of cerebello-thalamo-putaminal tracts correlated with the registration/learning domain scores. In addition, the fiber density values of cerebello-frontal and subthalamo-cerebellar (Crus II) tracts correlated with the cognitive assessment scores from the memory domain.

Conclusion

We validated the structural connectivity within the cerebellum-basal ganglia reciprocal network, in a larger dataset of human subjects, across wider age range. The structural features of the subcortical cerebello-basal ganglia tracts in human subjects display age-related neurodegeneration. Individual morphological variability of cerebellar tracts to the striatum and prefrontal cortex was associated with different cognitive functions, suggesting a functional contribution of cerebellar tracts to cognitive decline with aging. This study offers new perspectives to consider the functional role of these pathways in motor learning and the pathophysiology of movement disorders involving the cerebellum and striatum.

Relationship between Cerebral Perfusion on Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI with Brain Volumetry and Cognitive Performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease

Context

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement using arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI sequences has recently emerged as a prominent tool in dementia research.

Aims

To establish association between quantified regional cerebral perfusion and gray matter (GM) volumes with cognitive measures in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's Dementia (AD), using three dimensional fast spin echo pseudo-continuous ASL MRI sequences.

Settings and Design

Hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Methods and Material

Three age-matched groups, i.e., 21 cognitively normal healthy controls (HC), 20 MCI and 19 early AD patients diagnosed using neuropsychological tests and who consented for multimodality 3T MRI were recruited for the study.

Statistical Analysis Used

Statistical parametric mapping and regions of interest (ROI) multivariate analysis of variance was used to ascertain differences between patients and controls on MRI-volumetry and ASL. Linear regression was used to assess relationship between CBF with GM atrophy and neuropsychological test measures.

Results

Compared to HC, patients with MCI and AD had significantly lower quantified perfusion in posterior cingulate and lingual gyri, over hippocampus in MCI, with no differences noted between MCI and AD. Atrophy over the middle temporal gyrus and hippocampus differentiated AD from MCI. No significant positive correlations were noted between perfusion and GM volumes in ROI with the exception of temporal neocortex. Significantly positive coefficient b-value (p < 0.01) were apparent between global cognition with CBF in precuneus, temporal neocortex and precuneus volume, with negative b-values noted between medial temporal CBF for global cognition and recall scores.

Conclusions

ROI-based CBF measurements differentiated MCI and AD from HC; volumetry of medial and neocortical temporal GM separates AD from MCI. Correlations between CBF and neuropsychology are variable and require further longitudinal studies to gauge its predictive utility on cognitive trajectory in MCI.

Validation of Indian Council of Medical Research Neurocognitive Tool Box in Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment in India: Lessons from a Harmonization Process in a Linguistically Diverse Society

BACKGROUND/AIMS

In a linguistically diverse country such as India, challenges remain with regard to diagnosis of early cognitive decline among the elderly, with no prior attempts made to simultaneously validate a comprehensive battery of tests across domains in multiple languages. This study aimed to determine the utility of the Indian Council of Medical Research-Neurocognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its vascular subtype (VaMCI) in 5 Indian languages.

METHODS

Literate subjects from 5 centers across the country were recruited using a uniform process, and all subjects were classified based on clinical evaluations and a gold standard test protocol into normal cognition, MCI, and VaMCI. Following adaptation and harmonization of the ICMR-NCTB across 5 different Indian languages into a composite Z score, its test performance against standards, including sensitivity and specificity of the instrument as well as of its subcomponents in diagnosis of MCI, was evaluated in age and education unmatched and matched groups.

RESULTS

Variability in sensitivity-specificity estimates was noted between languages when a total of 991 controls and 205 patients with MCI (157 MCI and 48 VaMCI) were compared due to a significant impact of age, education, and language. Data from a total of 506 controls, 144 patients with MCI, and 46 patients with VaMCI who were age- and education-matched were compared. Post hoc analysis after correction for multiple comparisons revealed better performance in controls relative to all-cause MCI. An optimum composite Z-score of -0.541 achieved a sensitivity of 81.1% and a specificity of 88.8% for diagnosis of all-cause MCI, with a high specificity for diagnosis of VaMCI. Using combinations of multiple-domain 2 test subcomponents retained a sensitivity and specificity of >80% for diagnosis of MCI.

CONCLUSIONS

The ICMR-NCTB is a "first of its kind" approach at harmonizing neuropsychological tests across 5 Indian languages for the diagnosis of MCI due to vascular and other etiologies. Utilizing multiple-domain subcomponents also retains the validity of this instrument, making it a valuable tool in MCI research in multilingual settings.

Impaired intrinsic functional connectivity among medial temporal lobe and sub-regions related to memory deficits in intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula

PURPOSE

The functional changes concerning memory deficits in dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) brain are inadequately understood. This study aimed to understand the functional connectivity alterations of brain regions widely affirmed for explicit and implicit memory functions in dAVF patients (DP) and look into the frequency effects of the altered functional networks.

METHODS

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) analysis was done in the memory-associated regions of 30 DP and 30 healthy controls (HC). Frequency decomposition was used to determine potential frequency-dependent functional connectivity changes. They underwent neuropsychological tests and were correlated with changes in memory networks compared with HC.

RESULTS

The results showed weaker functional connectivity among the medial temporal lobe and sub-regions in DP suggestive of dysfunction of explicit and implicit memory functions, which corroborated with the positive correlation between memory scores and hippocampal-parahippocampal connectivity of DP, along with a significant group difference of lower memory and cognitive performance in DP assessed by neuropsychological tests. A frequency-dependent study of the altered rsFC revealed lower functional connectivity strength and impaired neural coupling manifested at some sub-band frequencies indicative of disturbed cortical rhythm in DP.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study gives insights into significant intrinsic functional connectivity changes in the memory regions of the dAVF brain. The results may have clinical implications in the choice of interventional management of dAVF and can impact clinical decision making for realizable prevention of progressive memory impairment and irreversible brain damage in such patients.

Glutamatergic response to a low load working memory paradigm in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

Working memory deficits have been widely reported in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the neural mechanisms of working memory dysfunction in MCI have not been clearly understood. In this study, we used proton functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-fMRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand the underlying neurobiology of working memory deficits in patients with MCI. We aimed at detecting the changes in the concentration of glutamate and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activity using ¹H-fMRS and fMRI respectively during a low load verbal (0 back and 1 back) working memory in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) between patients with MCI and healthy controls. Fifteen patients with amnestic MCI and twenty two age, gender and education matched healthy controls underwent a low load verbal working memory ¹H-fMRS and fMRI. We observed significant increase in glutamate during working memory task (both 0 back and 1 back) in healthy controls and such changes were absent in patients with MCI. However, percent signal changes representing BOLD activity during both 0 back and 1 back was not significantly different between two groups. Our findings suggest that ¹H-fMRS complements fMRI in understanding the working memory mechanism in the left DLPFC.

Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in the Posterior Cingulate and Precuneus and the Entorhinal Cortical Atrophy Score Differentiate Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Due to Alzheimer Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Alzheimer disease is the most common degenerative dementia affecting humans and mild cognitive impairment is considered the forerunner of this devastating illness with variable progression. Differentiating between them has become all the more essential with the advent of disease-modifying medications. The aim of this study was to test the utility of the entorhinal cortical atrophy score in combination with quantitative CBF in the posterior cingulate and precuneus using arterial spin-labeling to differentiate mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed MR imaging from a prospective data base of 3 age-matched groups: 21 cognitively healthy controls, 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 19 patients with early Alzheimer disease. The highest entorhinal cortical atrophy score and an atlas-based measurement of CBF in the posterior cingulate and precuneus were estimated in these groups. Statistical comparison was performed among the groups for disease-prediction probability with these parameters independently and in combination using a binary logistic regression model.

RESULTS

The entorhinal cortical atrophy score performed well in distinguishing AD from HC, with a predicted probability of .887 (area under the curve, P < .001). The mean CBF of the posterior cingulate and precuneus was also found to be a useful discriminator (area under the curve, 0.810, P = < .001). Combining the entorhinal cortical atrophy score and CBF was the best predictor (area under the curve, 0.957, P < .001). In distinguishing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease, entorhinal cortical atrophy also did well with an area under the curve of 0.838 (P < .001). However regional CBF was not useful in differentiating them (area under the curve = 0.589, P = .339). Entorhinal cortical atrophy scored poorly in distinguishing mild cognitive impairment from healthy controls (AUC = 0.571, P = .493), but CBF fared well, with an area under the curve of 0.776 (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS

Combining entorhinal cortical atrophy and regional CBF could be a potential imaging biomarker in distinguishing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease.

Do quantified sleep architecture abnormalities underlie cognitive disturbances in amnestic mild cognitive impairment?

The study was designed to gauge association between occult sleep-related breathing disturbances and sleep architecture changes on cognitive trajectories in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) relative to cognitively normal healthy controls, phenotyped by neuroimaging. Subjects with aMCI and normal cognition were prospectively recruited. Following standardized neuropsychological and sleep questionnaire assessment they underwent a single overnight polysomnography (PSG); multimodality MRI was used to ascertain age-corrected radiological differences between the 2 groups. The aMCI cohort was followed up longitudinally with serial cognitive assessments for the next 3 years. Thirty seven subjects with aMCI and 24 control subjects consented for evaluation. Although occult moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was more prevalent in aMCI (43.6%) as opposed to controls (22.7%); higher median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI = 11.5) and total apnea-hypopnea time (26.6 min) were also noted in aMCI relative to controls (6.6 and 11.4 min respectively), the differences were not statistically significant. In the aMCI group, better sleep efficiency, longer duration of REM sleep correlated with higher associative learning, free-recall/recognition memory performance. Higher AHI had negative correlation with visual memory scores. However longitudinal cognitive trends in the aMCI group over 3 years reflected relative stability (only 5% progressed to AD) notwithstanding imaging differences from controls and appeared to be independent of sleep parameters. The study concluded that despite associations between sleep efficiency, REM sleep and sleep-related breathing variables with neuropsychological test-scores in aMCI, these appear to be comorbidities rather than causative factors for the degree of cognitive impairment or its longitudinal trajectory.

Novel Face-Name Paired Associate Learning and Famous Face Recognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Neuropsychological and Brain Volumetric Study

Purpose

To assess visual associative learning and famous face recognition ability among subjects with stable amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) relative to early stage dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitively normal healthy controls (NC) and to correlate these differences with volumetric changes on MRI.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 61 participants. The subjects underwent neuropsychological evaluation, including validated newly designed tests for novel face-name paired association learning recall and famous face recognition. MRI volumetry was done on a subset of patients to ascertain the topographical patterns of volume loss.

Results

There were significant differences in performance on free recall for face-name paired associate learning in MCI (n = 22) compared to NC (n = 20) (p < 0.001) and MCI compared to AD (n = 19; p < 0.001). Significant differences were also noted in scores on the famous personalities test between MCI and NC (p = 0.007), and MCI and AD (p = 0.032). The free recall component of face-name pair associative learning significantly correlated with left cuneus (p = 0.005; r = 0.833) and right cuneus (p = 0.003; r = 0.861) volume in AD with no significant correlation among MCI and NC cohorts.

Conclusions

Novel and semantically familiar face-name associative recalls are significantly impaired in MCI, and these potentially predate the MRI volumetric changes in MCI. Our findings expand the spectrum of recall deficits in MCI.

Comparative diagnostic accuracy of ACE-III and MoCA for detecting mild cognitive impairment

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to validate the reliability of the Chinese version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) for detecting mild cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the present study compares the diagnostic accuracy of ACE-III with that of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

METHODS

One hundred and twenty patients with MCI and 136 healthy controls were included in the study. All patients were evaluated by the Chinese version of ACE-III, MoCA and MMSE.

RESULTS

Subjects in the control group showed better performance in ACE-III total score and its subdomain scores than those in the MCI group. There was a significantly positive correlation between ACE-III total score and MoCA score. Meanwhile, there was also a significantly positive correlation between ACE-III total score and MMSE score. For ACE-III total score, a cut-off point of 85 yielded a sensitivity of 97.3% and a specificity of 90.7%. The AUC for ACE-III total score was 0.978. For MoCA, a cut-off point of 23 yielded a sensitivity of 86.5% and a specificity of 97.7%. The AUC for MoCA was 0.961. There were no significant differences in diagnostic accuracy between ACE-III and MoCA.

CONCLUSION

The present findings support that both ACE-III and MoCA are useful for detecting MCI in early stages.

Multimodality Neuroimaging in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-sectional Comparison Study

Background and Purpose

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a focus of considerable research. The present study aimed to test the utility of a logistic regression-derived classifier, combining specific quantitative multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for the early objective phenotyping of MCI in the clinic, over structural MRI data.

Methods

Thirty-three participants with cognitively stable amnestic MCI; 15 MCI converters to early Alzheimer's disease (AD; diseased controls) and 20 healthy controls underwent high-resolution T1-weighted volumetric MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MR spectroscopy). The regional volumes were obtained from T1-weighted MRI. The fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity maps were derived from DTI over multiple white matter regions. The ¹H MRS voxels were placed over posterior cingulate gyri, and N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr), choline (Cho)/Cr, myoinositol (mI/Cr), and NAA/mI ratios were obtained. A multimodal classifier comprising MR volumetry, DTI, and MRS was prepared. A cutoff point was arrived based on receiver operator characteristics analysis. Results were considered significant, if P < 0.05.

Results

The most sensitive individual marker to discriminate MCI from controls was DTI (90.9%), with a specificity of 50%. For classifying MCI from AD, the best individual modality was DTI (72.7%), with a high specificity of 87.9%. The multimodal classifier approach for MCI control classification achieved an area under curve (AUC) (AUC = 0.89; P < 0.001), with 93.9% sensitivity and 70% specificity. The combined classifier for MCI-AD achieved a highest AUC (AUC = 0.93; P < 0.001), with 93% sensitivity and 85.6% specificity.

Conclusions

The combined method of gray matter atrophy, white matter tract changes, and metabolite variation achieved a better performance at classifying MCI compared to the application of individual MRI biomarkers.

Addenbrooke's cognitive examination-revised: normative and accuracy data for seniors with heterogeneous educational level in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Several cognitive tools have been developed aiming to diagnose dementia. The cognitive battery Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R) has been used to detect cognitive impairment; however, there are few studies including samples with low education. The aim of the study was to provide ACE-R norms for seniors within a lower education, including illiterates. An additional aim was to examine the accuracy of the ACE-R to detect dementia and cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND).

METHODS

Data originated from an epidemiological study conducted in the municipality of Tremembé, Brazil. The Brazilian version of ACE-R was applied as part of the cognitive assessment in all participants. Of the 630 participants, 385 were classified as cognitively normal (CN) and were included in the normative data set, 110 individuals were diagnosed with dementia, and 135 were classified as having CIND.

RESULTS

ACE-R norms were provided with the sample stratified into age and education bands. ACE-R total scores varied significantly according to age, education, and sex. To distinguish CN from dementia, a cut-off of 64 points was established (sensitivity 91%, specificity 76%) and to differentiate CN from CIND the best cut-off was 69 points (sensitivity 73%, specificity 65%). Cut-off scores varied according to the educational level.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers normative and accuracy parameters for seniors with lower education and it should expand the use of the ACE-R for this population segment.

Addenbrooke's cognitive examination III: diagnostic utility for mild cognitive impairment and dementia and correlation with standardized neuropsychological tests

BACKGROUND

Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) is a screening test that was recently validated for diagnosing dementia. Since it assesses attention, language, memory, fluency, and visuospatial function separately, it may also be useful for general neuropsychological assessments. The aim of this study was to analyze the tool's ability to detect early stages of Alzheimer's disease and to examine the correlation between ACE-III scores and scores on standardized neuropsychological tests.

METHODS

Our study included 200 participants categorized as follows: 25 healthy controls, 48 individuals with subjective memory complaints, 47 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 47 mild Alzheimer's disease, and 33 patients with other neurodegenerative diseases.

RESULTS

The ACE-III memory and language domains were highly correlated with the neuropsychological tests specific to those domains (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.806 for total delayed recall on the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test vs. 0.744 on the Boston Naming Test). ACE-III scores discriminated between controls and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (AUC: 0.906), and between controls and patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AUC: 0.978).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that ACE-III is a useful neuropsychological test for assessing the cognitive domains of attention, language, memory, and visuospatial function. It also enables detection of Alzheimer's disease in early stages.