Intrusions in Verbal Learning in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Prodromal Alzheimer´s Disease?

ALLEGRI RF, DRAKE M, HARRIS P, SERRANO CM, TARAGANO FE

Miami

Congreso; Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2005; 2005

American Academy of Neurology

Objective: to compare the memory performance of individuals with MCI and mild DAT patients, to study qualitative aspects of amnestic syndrome that could help in differentiating MCI subjects. Design: One hundred and eigthy sevent patients were studied (36 DAT, 90 MCI and 61 controls matched by age and educational level. Memory was assessed by the spanish adaptation of Signoret Memory Battery. Presence of intrussions in verbal learning test was the selected variable to subdivide the MCI group. Finally 32 MCI with and 30 MCI without memory intrussions were followed by 2 years. Results: MCI patients had significant differences with NC in almos all aspects of verbal memory. The MCI without intrussion group showed a profile quite similar to those of NC group, while MCI with intrussions subgroup profile closed resembled the one of DAT patients (amnestic hippocampal profile). 28/32 MCI with and 3/30 MCI without intrussions develop a DAT in two years (p<.01). Conclusions: The different memory performance of MCI without and with intrussions could be a very useful tool to distinguish those patient that probably develop a DAT and those who will not.