Apparent Cognitive Decline as Revealed by an Executive Function Test within a Cohort of Elderly Individuals Self-Reporting Normal Cognitive Performance

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Shea, Thomas B.^{a; *} | Remington, Ruth^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Biological Sciences, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA | [b] Department of Nursing, Framingham State University, Framingham, MA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Thomas B. Shea, Department of Biological Sciences, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA 02154, USA. Tel.: +1 978 934 2881; Fax: +1 978 934 3044; E-mail: Thomas_Shea@uml.edu.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be preceded by subtle memory decline that can last a decade or more before progressing to what would be diagnosed as the mild cognitive impairment stage. During this early stage of decline, individuals and even their caregivers can fail to perceive any serious difficulty or need to consult a physician. Herein, we present evidence in support of these concerns, and demonstrate how this can interfere not only with clinical trials of AD but also those involving cognitive performance of elderly individuals without intentional reference to AD.

Keywords: Cognitive decline, executive function, Mini-Mental State Exam, outliers, self-report, Trail-making test

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170794

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 913-915, 2018