Use of a Modified Spatial-Context Memory Test to Detect Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 2; p. e57030
• Main Authors: Wang, Hsuan-Min, Yang, Chien-Ming, Kuo, Wan-Chin, Huang, Chin-Chang, Kuo, Hung-Chou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 28.02.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Biology; Brain; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Consortia; Dementia; Dementia disorders; Disease; Education; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Impairment; Male; Medicine; Memory; Mental disorders; Middle Aged; Neurology; Neuropathology; Neuropsychological Tests; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pathology; Patients; Psychiatry; ROC Curve; Spatial memory; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057030

In this study we sought to differentiate participants with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) from those with mild dementia of Alzheimer's type (m-DAT) and normal controls by modifying an existing test of spatial context memory (SCMT) designed so as to evaluate the function of brain regions affected in early m-DAT. We found that participants with a-MCI had better total scores on our modified SCMT than those with m-DAT. Furthermore, the locational memory subtest was able to discriminate between those with a-MCI and m-DAT. Additionally, compared with other screening tests, our spatial context memory test showed high sensitivity and specificity in discerning those with a-MCI from the normal population but, was relatively ineffective in discriminating a-MCI patients from those with m-DAT. We conclude that our modified test of SCMT is an effective tool for discriminating a-MCI from m-DAT and does so by detecting differences in locational memory.