Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-31T17:15:19.223Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Short-term practice effects in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: implications for diagnosis and treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2008

Kevin Duff ,
Leigh J. Beglinger ,
Sara Van Der Heiden ,
David J. Moser ,
Stephan Arndt ,
Susan K. Schultz  and
Jane S. Paulsen
Kevin Duff*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
Leigh J. Beglinger
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
Sara Van Der Heiden
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
David J. Moser
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
Stephan Arndt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A. Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
Susan K. Schultz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
Jane S. Paulsen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, U.S.A.
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Kevin Duff, University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, MEB 1-308, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000, U.S.A. Phone: +1 319 335 6640; Fax: +1 319 353 3003. Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Background: Practice effects have been widely reported in healthy older adults, but these improvements due to repeat exposure to test materials have been more equivocal in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: The current study examined short-term practice effects in MCI by repeating a brief battery of cognitive tests across one week in 59 older adults with amnestic MCI and 62 intact older adults.

Results: Participants with amnestic MCI showed significantly greater improvements on two delayed recall measures (p < 0.01) compared to intact peers. All other practice effects were comparable between these two groups. Practice effects significantly improved scores in the MCI group so that 49% of them were reclassified as “intact” after one week, whereas the other 51% remained “stable” as MCI. Secondary analyses indicated the MCI-Intact group demonstrated larger practice effects on two memory measures than their peers (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: These results continue to inform us about the nature of memory deficits in MCI, and could have implications for the diagnosis and possible treatment of this amnestic condition.

Keywords

mild cognitive impairmentpractice effectsrepeat testing
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , October 2008 , pp. 986 - 999
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2008

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

Barnett, A. G., van der Pols, J. C. and Dobson, A. J. (2005). Regression to the mean: what it is and how to deal with it. International Journal of Epidemiology, 34, 215–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beglinger, L. J. et al. (2005a). Practice effects and the use of alternate forms in serial neuropsychological testing. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 20, 517–529.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beglinger, L. J., Tangphao-Daniels, O., Kareken, D. A., Zhang, L., Mohs, R. and Siemers, E. R. (2005b). Neuropsychological test performance in healthy elderly volunteers before and after donepezil administration: a randomized, controlled study. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 25, 159–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belleville, S., Gilbert, B., Fontaine, F., Gagnon, L., Menard, E. and Gauthier, S. (2006). Improvement of episodic memory in persons with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults: evidence from a cognitive intervention program. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 22, 486–499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benedict, R. H. and Zgaljardic, D. J. (1998). Practice effects during repeated administrations of memory tests with and without alternate forms. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 20, 339–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bennett, I. J., Golob, E. J., Parker, E. S. and Starr, A. (2006). Memory evaluation in mild cognitive impairment using recall and recognition tests. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 28, 1408–1422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bird, C. M., Papadopoulou, K., Ricciardelli, P., Rossor, M. N. and Cipolotti, L. (2004). Monitoring cognitive changes: psychometric properties of six cognitive tests. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43, 197–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calero, M. D. and Navarro, E. (2007). Cognitive plasticity as a modulating variable on the effects of memory training in elderly persons. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22, 63–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collie, A., Darby, D. G., Falleti, M. G., Silbert, B. S. and Maruff, P. (2002). Determining the extent of cognitive change after coronary surgery: a review of statistical procedures. Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 73, 2005–2011.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, D. B. et al. (2001). Effects of practice on category fluency in Alzheimer's disease. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 15, 125–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, D. B., Lacritz, L. H., Weiner, M. F., Rosenberg, R. N. and Cullum, C. M. (2004). Category fluency in mild cognitive impairment: reduced effect of practice in test-retest conditions. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 18, 120–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Darby, D., Maruff, P., Collie, A. and McStephen, M. (2002). Mild cognitive impairment can be detected by multiple assessments in a single day. Neurology, 59, 1042–1046.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Rotrou, J., Wenisch, E., Chausson, C., Dray, F., Faucounau, V. and Rigaud, A. S. (2005). Accidental MCI in healthy subjects: a prospective longitudinal study. European Journal of Neurology, 12, 879–885.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duff, K. et al. (2007). Practice effects in the prediction of long-term cognitive outcome in three patient samples: a novel prognostic index. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22, 15–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galvin, J. E. et al. (2005). Predictors of preclinical Alzheimer disease and dementia: a clinicopathologic study. Archives of Neurology, 62, 758–765.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helkala, E. L. et al. (2002). Usefulness of repeated presentation of Mini-mental State Examination as a diagnostic procedure – a population-based study. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 106, 341–346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lines, C. R., McCarroll, K. A., Lipton, R. B. and Block, G. A. (2003). Telephone screening for amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Neurology, 60, 261–266.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCaffrey, R. J., Duff, K. and Westervelt, H. J. (2000). Practitioner's Guide to Evaluating Change with Neuropsychological Assessment Instruments. New York: Plenum/Kluwer.Google Scholar
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, 303–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rapp, S., Brenes, G. and Marsh, A. P. (2002). Memory enhancement training for older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a preliminary study. Aging and Mental Health, 6, 5–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schrijnemaekers, A. M., de Jager, C. A., Hogervorst, E. and Budge, M. M. (2006). Cases with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease fail to benefit from repeated exposure to episodic memory tests as compared with controls. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 28, 438–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wenisch, E. et al. (2007). Cognitive stimulation intervention for elders with mild cognitive impairment compared with normal aged subjects: preliminary results. Aging: Clinical and Experimental Research, 19, 316–322.Google ScholarPubMed
Westerberg, C. E. et al. (2006). When memory does not fail: familiarity-based recognition in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology, 20, 193–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winblad, B. et al. (2004). Mild cognitive impairment – beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Internal Medicine, 256, 240–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yan, J. H. and Dick, M. B. (2006). Practice effects on motor control in healthy seniors and patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 13, 385–410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed