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Hyperfamiliarity in Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Kathryna Sh Kwok1, Shahul Hameed, Sze Yan Tay
1Department of Neurology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
|November 21, 2015
Summary
Hyperfamiliarity, a feeling of intense familiarity with new things, occurs in daily life for individuals with cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This phenomenon was observed regardless of the condition's severity or cause.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Hyperfamiliarity, the experience of familiarity with novel stimuli, is documented in epilepsy and brain lesions.
- Abnormal familiarity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been explored through neuropsychological lenses.
- Limited research exists on the real-life experience of familiarity abnormalities in dementia and MCI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the occurrence of hyperfamiliarity in individuals with dementia and MCI.
- To assess the real-life manifestation of familiarity abnormalities in cognitive impairment.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 73 participants: 29 with AD, 10 with vascular dementia, 7 with MCI, and 27 healthy controls.
- Administered a questionnaire to quantify the frequency of hyperfamiliarity experiences.
Main Results:
- Hyperfamiliarity was identified in the daily lives of individuals with cognitive impairment.
- The frequency of hyperfamiliarity was not correlated with the severity of cognitive impairment.
- The occurrence of hyperfamiliarity was independent of the underlying etiology of the cognitive impairment.
Conclusions:
- This study indicates a consistent rate of hyperfamiliarity in the everyday lives of individuals experiencing cognitive impairment.
- Further research is recommended to explore the neuropsychological correlates and underlying mechanisms of hyperfamiliarity in cognitive decline.
- Highlights the need for understanding subjective experiences of familiarity in neurological conditions.
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