Sensitivity of a time-based prospective memory procedure in the assessment of amnestic mild cognitive impairment

This study was aimed at evaluating whether prospective memory (PM) assessment is able to assist the discrimination between amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and healthy subjects (HCs) and between aMCI with single versus multiple domains impairment. Individuals with aMCI and HCs were administered an extensive neuropsychological tests battery and a time-based PM task. PM scores significantly improved the accuracy of the regression model in discriminating between aMCI multiple domains, but not aMCI single domain, and HCs. Moreover, the prospective score significantly contributed to the discrimination between the two aMCI subgroups. These findings indicate the usefulness of including the PM procedure in evaluations of aMCI.