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Memory Scanning and Structured Learning in Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson' Disease*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

G.C. Laflèche ,
D.T. Stuss ,
R.F. Nelson  and
T.W. Picton
G.C. Laflèche
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, presently at Mass. Gen. Hosp., Boston. Human Neurosciences Research Unit, University of Ottawa. Memory Disorder Clinic, University of Ottawa at the Ottawa General Hospital.
D.T. Stuss
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, presently at Mass. Gen. Hosp., Boston. Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, North York, Ontario. Departments of Psychology and Medicine, University of Toronto.
R.F. Nelson
Affiliation:
School of Medicine (Neurology), University of Ottawa. Ottawa General Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario.
T.W. Picton
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, presently at Mass. Gen. Hosp., Boston. School of Medicine (Neurology), University of Ottawa. Human Neurosciences Research Unit, University of Ottawa. Ottawa General Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario.
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Abstract

This study investigated the speed of short-term memory scanning in two groups of patients: patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) (primarily subcortical pathology) and patients with a presumptive diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) (primarily cortical pathology). Non-demented PD patients (M age = 58.3), mildly demented DAT patients (M age = 67.0), and normal control (NC) subjects (M age = 58.9) were compared to one another in order to determine whether the presence of slowed scanning differentiates subcortical from cortical pathology. The three groups did not differ significantly on the memory scanning task. Slowed scanning speed does appear to occur in some patients with PD, however. This may relate to age, duration of disease, or an interaction between these two. Despite normal scanning speed, most DAT patients required highly structured instructions to be able to carry out the item-recognition task, and many remainedunable to perform this task even with additional instructions.

Résumé

Cette étude examine deux différents groupes de patients dans le but d'analyser la vitesse d'exploration de la mémoire à court terme. Il s'agit done de ceux qui sont atteints d'un parkinson (PD) (principalement pathologie sous-corticale) et de ceux qui semblent souffrir d'une démence de type Alzheimer (DAT) (principalement pathologie corticale). Une comparaison a été établie entre les patients non-déments (PD) (âge M = 58.3), les patients légèrement déments (DAT) (âge M = 67.0) et les sujets contrôlés normaux (NC) (âge M = 58.9) dans le but de déterminer si l'exploration ralentie crée une différence entre une pathologie corticale et sous-corticale. Parmi les trois groupes, les différences relevées au niveau de la tâche d'exploration de la mémoire n'étaient pas significatives. Cependant, certains patients atteints d'un parkinson semblaient effectuer cet exercice d'exploration plus lentement. Ceci pourrait être dû à l'âge, à la durée de la maladie, ou à une interaction entre ces deux facteurs. La plupart des patients DAT ont dû recevoir des directives très précises et détaillées avant de pouvoir effectuer la tâche voulant qu'ils reconnaissent certains objets, ceci en dépit des résultats indiquant une vitesse d'exploration normale, et plusieurs ont été incapables de l'exécuter, même après avoir reçu des directives supplémentaires.

Keywords

Parkinson'sAlzheimer'sMemory ScanningAgingFrontal Lobes.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , Summer/Été 1990 , pp. 120 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1990

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