Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Memory Enhancement
Published on: September 18, 2021
Association between cognition and daily life functioning in dementia subtypes
Sharon F M Bouwens1, Caroline M van Heugten, Frans R J Verhey
1School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the association between cognition and daily life functioning in dementia subtypes.
Methods:
Cross-sectional data were used from 615 patients with dementia who were referred to the Maastricht Memory Clinic of the Maastricht University Medical Centre. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; to measure cognitive status) and the Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS; to measure daily life functioning) for the following types of dementia: Alzheimer's Disease (AD, n = 442); Vascular dementia (VaD, n = 113); frontotemporal dementia (FTD, n = 18); Parkinson's dementia (PD, n = 21); and primary progressive aphasia (PPA, n = 21). One-way ANOVA was used to test differences in age, MMSE scores and BDS scores across dementia subtypes.
Results:
Scores on the MMSE showed strong correlation with BDS scores in cases of FTD (r = -0.80); moderate correlation in cases of AD, VaD, and PD (range r = -0.50-0.60); while no correlation was found in PPA cases.
Conclusions:
The association between cognition and daily life functioning varied among dementia subtypes for AD, VaD, FTD and PD. Furthermore, the overall scores on both domains differ between dementia subtypes, indicating that different types of dementia are characterized by a specific pattern of cognitive status and daily life functioning. These findings underline the need for multidomain assessment in patients with dementia.
Related Concept Videos
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual.
Dementia l: Introduction
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Language and Cognition
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
