Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T18:06:12.492Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Semantic memory and depressive symptoms in patients with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2017

J. Lehrner*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
G. Coutinho
Affiliation:
D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Institute of Biomarker Sciences–Morphological Sciences Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
P. Mattos
Affiliation:
D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Institute of Biomarker Sciences–Morphological Sciences Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
D. Moser
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
M. Pflüger
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
A. Gleiss
Affiliation:
Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
E. Auff
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
P. Dal-Bianco
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
G. Pusswald
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
E. Stögmann
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Ass. Prof. Priv. Doz. Mag. Dr. J. Lehrner, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1097 Wien, Austria. Phone: 0043-1-40400-31090; Fax: 0043-1-40400-31410. Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Background:

Semantic memory may be impaired in clinically recognized states of cognitive impairment. We investigated the relationship between semantic memory and depressive symptoms (DS) in patients with cognitive impairment.

Methods:

323 cognitively healthy controls and 848 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia were included. Semantic knowledge for famous faces, world capitals, and word vocabulary was investigated.

Results:

Compared to healthy controls, we found a statistically significant difference of semantic knowledge in the MCI groups and the AD group, respectively. Results of the SCD group were mixed. However, two of the three semantic memory measures (world capitals and word vocabulary) showed a significant association with DS.

Conclusions:

We found a difference in semantic memory performance in MCI and AD as well as an association with DS. Results suggest that the difference in semantic memory is due to a storage loss rather than to a retrieval problem.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahmed, S., Arnold, R., Thompson, S. A., Graham, K. S. and Hodges, R. R. (2008). Naming of objects, faces and buildings in mild cognitive impairment. Cortex, 44, 746752.Google Scholar
Amieva, H. et al. (2008). Prodromal Alzheimer's disease: successive emergence of the clinical symptoms. Annals of Neurology, 64, 492498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Becker, J. T., Lopez, O. L. and Boller, F. (1995). Understanding impaired analysis of faces by patients with probable Alzheimers-Disease. Cortex, 31, 129137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brambati, S. M., Benoit, S., Monetta, L., Belleville, S. and Joubert, S. (2010). The role of the left anterior temporal lobe in the semantic processing of famous faces. Neuroimage, 53, 674681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brunet, J. et al. (2011). The relation between depressive symptoms and semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and in late-life depression. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17, 865874.Google Scholar
Callahan, B. L. et al. (2015). Semantic memory impairment for biological and man-made objects in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or late-life depression. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 28, 108116.Google Scholar
Clague, F., Graham, K. S., Thompson, S. A. and Hodges, J. R. (2011). Is Knowledge of famous people compromised in mild cognitive mpairment? Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 24, 134144.Google Scholar
Coutinho, G., Drummond, C., de Oliveira-Souza, R., Moll, J., Tovar-Moll, F. and Mattos, P. (2015). Immediate story recall in elderly individuals with memory complaints: how much does it contribute to memory assessment? International Psychogeriatrics, 27, 16791686.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delazer, M., Semenza, C., Reiner, M., Hofer, R. and Benke, T. (2003). Anomia for people names in DAT – evidence for semantic and post-semantic impairments. Neuropsychologia, 41, 15931598.Google Scholar
Doblinger, B. (2013). Semantisches Gedächtnis. Master Thesis, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Dopkins, S., Kovner, R., Rich, J. B. and Brandt, J. (1997). Access to information about famous individuals in Alzheimer's disease. Cortex, 33, 333339.Google Scholar
Drummond, C. et al. (2015). Deficits in narrative discourse elicited by visual stimuli are already present in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 7:96. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2015.00096.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dubois, B. et al. (2016). Preclinical Alzheimer's disease: definition, natural history, and diagnostic criteria. Alzheimers & Dementia, 12, 292323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dudas, R. B., Clague, F., Thompson, S. A., Graham, K. S. and Hodges, J. R. (2005). Episodic and semantic memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia, 43, 12661276.Google Scholar
Duong, A., Whitehead, V., Hanratty, K. and Chertkow, H. (2006). The nature of lexico-semantic processing deficits in mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia, 44, 19281935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Estevez-Gonzalez, A. et al. (2004). Semantic knowledge of famous people in mild cognitive impairment and progression to Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 17, 188195.Google Scholar
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. and Mchugh, P. R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gatterer, G. (2008). Alters-Konzentrations-Test (AKT). Göttingen: Hogrefe.Google Scholar
Goodglass, H. and Kaplan, E. (1983). The Assessment of Aphasia and Related Disorders. Philadelphia: Lea & Fabinger.Google Scholar
Greene, J. D. W. and Hodges, J. R. (1996a). The fractionation of remote memory – evidence from a longitudinal study of dementia of Alzheimer type. Brain, 119, 129142.Google Scholar
Greene, J. D. W. and Hodges, J. R. (1996b). Identification of famous faces and famous names in early Alzheimer's disease – relationship to anterograde episodic and general semantic memory. Brain, 119, 111128.Google Scholar
Hautzinger, M., Keller, F. and Kühner, C. (2006). Beck Depressions-Inventar (BDI-II). Frankfurt: Harcourt.Google Scholar
Hirni, D. I., Kivisaari, S. L., Monsch, A. U. and Taylor, K. I. (2013). Distinct neuroanatomical bases of episodic and semantic memory performance in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia, 51, 930937.Google Scholar
Ismail, Z. et al. (2016). Neuropsychiatric symptoms as early manifestations of emergent dementia: provisional diagnostic criteria for mild behavioral impairment. ISTAART Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Professional Interest Area. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 12, 195202.Google Scholar
Ismail, Z. et al. (2017). Prevalence of depression in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 74, 5867.Google Scholar
Jack, C. R. Jr. et al. (2014). Age-specific population frequencies of cerebral beta-amyloidosis and neurodegeneration among people with normal cognitive function aged 50-89 years: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Neurology, 13, 9971005.Google Scholar
Jessen, F. et al. (2014). A conceptual framework for research on subjective cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers & Dementia, 10, 844852.Google Scholar
Joubert, S. et al. (2010). The cognitive and neural expression of semantic memory impairment in mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia, 48, 978988.Google Scholar
Lehrl, S. (1978). Mehrfachwahl-Wortschatz-Intelligenztest MWT-B. Erlangen: Straube.Google Scholar
Lehrl, S. and Fischer, B. (1997). Kurztest für Cerebale Insuffizienz (c.I.-Test). Ebersberg: Vless.Google Scholar
Lehrner, J. (2016a). The CITY Test [Online]. Available at: meduniwien.ac.at/kpfg; last accessed February 15, 2017.Google Scholar
Lehrner, J. (2016b). The FACE Test [Online]. Available at: meduniqiwn.ac.at/kpfg; last accessed February 15, 2017.Google Scholar
Lehrner, J., Gleiß, A., Maly, J., Auff, E. and Dal-Bianco, P. (2006). Der verbale selektive reminding test (VSRT). Ein Verfahren zur Überprüfung verbaler Gedächtnisfunktionen. Neuropsychiatrie, 20, 204214.Google Scholar
Lehrner, J., Maly, J., Gleiß, A., Auff, E. and Dal-Bianco, P. (2007). The vienna neuropsychological test battery (VNTB) for detecting dementia – standardization, norms, and validation. Psychologie in Österreich, 4, 358365.Google Scholar
Lehrner, J. et al. (2014). Subjective memory complaints, depressive symptoms and cognition in patients attending a memory outpatient clinic. International Psychogeriatrics, 26, 463473.Google Scholar
Mardh, S., Nagga, K. and Samuelsson, S. (2013). A longitudinal study of semantic memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Cortex, 49, 528533.Google Scholar
Mckhann, G., Drachman, D., Folstein, M., Katzman, R., Price, D. and Stadlan, E. M. (1984). Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA work group under the auspices of department of health and human services task force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 34, 939944.Google Scholar
Morris, J. C. et al. (1989). The consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD). Part I. Clinical and neuropsychological assessment of Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 39, 11591165.Google Scholar
Nasreddine, Z. S. et al. (2005). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: a brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 695699.Google Scholar
Nebes, R. D., Martin, D. C. and Horn, L. C. (1984). Sparing of semantic memory in Alzheimers-Disease. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 93, 321330.Google Scholar
Oswald, W. D. and Fleischmann, U. M. (1997). Das Nünberger-Alters-Inventar. Göttingen: Hogrefe Verlag.Google Scholar
Patterson, K., Nestor, P. J. and Rogers, T. T. (2007). Where do you know what you know? The representation of semantic knowledge in the human brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8, 976987.Google Scholar
Petersen, R. C. and Morris, J. C. (2005). Mild cognitive impairment as a clinical entity and treatment target. Archives of Neurology, 62, 11601163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petersen, R. C., Smith, G. E., Waring, S. C., Ivnik, R. J., Tangalos, E. G. and Kokmen, E. (1999). Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Archives of Neurology, 56, 303308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pusswald, G. et al. (2013). Prevalence of mild cognitive impairment subtypes in patients attending a memory outpatient clinic-comparison of two modes of mild cognitive impairment classification. Results of the Vienna Conversion to Dementia Study. Alzheimers & Dementia, 9, 366376.Google Scholar
Regard, M., Strauss, E. and Knapp, P. (1982). Children's production on verbal and non-verbal fluency tasks. Perception and Motor Skills, 55, 839844.Google Scholar
Reitan, R. (1979). Trail Making Test (TMT). Tucson: Reitan Neuropsychology Laboratory.Google Scholar
Saß, H., Wittchen, H.-U., Zaudig, M. and Houben, I. (2003). Diagnostisches und Statistisches Manual Psychischer Störungen - Textrevision - DSM-IV-TR. Göttingen: Hogrefe Verlag für Psychologie.Google Scholar
Schmidt, K. and Metzler, P. (1992). Wortschatztest (WST). Bern: Verlag Hans Huber.Google Scholar
Semenza, C., Mondini, S., Borgo, F., Pasini, M. and Sgaramella, M. T. (2003). Proper names in patients with early Alzheimer's disease. Neurocase, 9, 6369.Google Scholar
Stasinopoulus, D. M. and Rigby, R. A. (2007). Generalized additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS). Journal of Statistical Software, 23, 146.Google Scholar
Stogmann, E. et al. (2016). Activities of daily living and depressive symptoms in patients with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimers Disease, 49, 10431050.Google Scholar
Tewes, U. (1994). Hamburg-Wechsler-Intelligenztest für Erwachsene - Revision 1991 (HAWIE-R). Bern: Verlag Hans Huber.Google Scholar
Thompson, S. A., Graham, K. S., Patterson, K., Sahakian, B. J. and Hodges, J. R. (2002). Is knowledge of famous people disproportionately impaired in patients with early and questionable Alzheimer's disease? Neuropsychology, 16, 344358.Google Scholar
Tromp, D., Dufour, A., Lithfous, S., Pebayle, T. and Despres, O. (2015). Episodic memory in normal aging and Alzheimer disease: insights from imaging and behavioral studies. Ageing Research Reviews, 24, 232262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tulving, E. (1972). Episodic and semantic memory. In Tulving, E. and Donaldson, W. (eds.), The Organization of Memory (382–402). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Vogel, A., Gade, A., Stokholm, J. and Waldemar, G. (2005). Semantic memory impairment in the earliest phases of Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 19, 7581.Google Scholar
Vogel, A., Johannsen, P., Stokholm, J. and Jorgensen, K. (2014). Frequency and severity of semantic deficits in a consecutive memory clinic cohort. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 38, 214223.Google Scholar
Werheid, K. and Clare, L. (2007). Are faces special in Alzheimer's disease? Cognitive conceptualisation, neural correlates, and diagnostic relevance of impaired memory for faces and names. Cortex, 43, 898906.Google Scholar