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A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: January 11, 2020
Selectivity of executive function deficits in mild cognitive impairment
Jason Brandt1, Eleni Aretouli, Eleanor Neijstrom
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287-7218, USA. jbrandt@jhmi.edu
Neuropsychology
|August 26, 2009
Summary
Executive cognition (EC) deficits, particularly in planning/problem solving and working memory, are common in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Multiple-domain MCI patients show greater EC impairment, suggesting a higher risk for dementia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Executive cognition (EC) impairment is prevalent in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and may predict dementia.
- MCI and executive functioning are broad, heterogeneous constructs requiring further domain-specific investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific executive cognition domains and mild cognitive impairment subtypes.
- To identify which EC domains are impaired in different MCI classifications.
Main Methods:
- Classified 124 MCI patients into 4 subgroups (amnestic/nonamnestic, single/multiple-domain) using neuropsychological tests.
- Administered 18 executive function tests to MCI patients and 68 controls.
- Utilized principal components analysis to identify EC components.
Main Results:
- Identified planning/problem solving and working memory as key EC components, with judgment being less reliable.
- Both planning/problem solving and working memory were impaired in MCI patients, including those with pure amnestic MCI.
- Multiple-domain MCI patients exhibited more severe planning/problem solving and working memory deficits than single-domain patients.
Conclusions:
- Specific executive cognition domains, namely planning/problem solving and working memory, are significantly impaired in mild cognitive impairment.
- Multiple-domain MCI is associated with more profound executive function deficits, indicating a potentially higher risk for progression to dementia compared to amnestic MCI.
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