[Link between non hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and executive functioning in oldest old]

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pulmonology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can lead to cognitive disorders, particularly executive dysfunction, even in the absence of hypoxemia.
• Executive functions, such as task-switching, are crucial for daily activities and can be affected by various neurological and systemic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate task-switching deficits in non-hypoxemic COPD patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• To compare cognitive performance on specific tasks between COPD patients and control subjects without COPD.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study involving COPD patients diagnosed with MCI or AD, matched with control subjects without COPD based on age, sex, education, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores.
• Assessment of task-switching abilities using the Trail Making Test A (TMTA) and Trail Making Test B (TMTB).

Main Results:

• COPD patients with MCI took longer on average for TMTA (13 seconds) and TMTB (18 seconds) compared to controls.
• COPD patients with AD showed significantly longer completion times for TMTA (63 seconds) and TMTB (97 seconds) versus controls.
• No significant difference in the number of errors on TMTB was observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings suggest that COPD, irrespective of cognitive status (MCI or AD), is associated with prolonged task-switching times.
• While not statistically significant in this small sample, the trend indicates a potential impact of COPD on executive functions.
• Larger prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate the relationship between COPD and cognitive impairment.