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Utilizing semantic intrusions to identify amyloid positivity in mild cognitive impairment

David A Loewenstein1, Rosie E Curiel2, Steven DeKosky2

  • 1From the Center on Aging (D.A.L., R.E.C.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L., R.E.C.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (D.A.L., A.P., W.W.B., S.G., M.T.G.-C., R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; McKnight Brain Institute (S.D.), Department of Neurology (S.D., R.D.), Department of Clinical and Health Psychology (R.M.B.), Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.G.), and Clinical and Translational Science Institute (K.S.H., M.M.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychology (M.R.), Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton; FLENI Foundation (S.M.G.), University of Buenos Aires Schools of Medicine and Psychology, Argentina; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.A., C.L., G.L.), College of Engineering and Computing, Florida International University Center for Advanced Technology and Education; and Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (R.D.), Florida International University, Miami. DLoewenstein@med.miami.edu.

Neurology
|August 5, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Semantic intrusion errors on the LASSI-L test can identify early Alzheimer disease (AD) by distinguishing amyloid-positive (Amy+) mild cognitive impairment from suspected non-AD pathology (SNAP). This may offer a noninvasive method for early AD diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Semantic intrusion (SI) errors may indicate memory deficits in preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD).
  • Previous research has not compared SI error frequency in amyloid-positive (Amy+) amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) versus suspected non-AD pathology (SNAP) or other neurological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether semantic intrusion errors differ between individuals with Amy+ aMCI, SNAP, and other non-AD diagnoses.
  • To determine if SI errors correlate with brain atrophy in specific regions.

Main Methods:

  • Eighty-eight aMCI participants underwent amyloid PET and MRI scans.
  • Participants were classified into early AD (Amy+), SNAP (Amy-), or other neurological/psychiatric diagnosis (Amy-).
  • Semantic interference (SI) was assessed using the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), focusing on proactive semantic interference (PSI), failure to recover from PSI (frPSI), and retroactive semantic interference.

Main Results:

  • SI errors on measures of PSI and frPSI successfully differentiated Amy+ AD cases from SNAP and other non-AD cases.
  • PSI and frPSI intrusions were associated with reduced volumes in the entorhinal cortex, superior temporal regions, and supramarginal gyrus in Amy+ AD.
  • No such associations were found in SNAP cases.

Conclusions:

  • Semantic intrusion errors on the LASSI-L, specifically related to PSI and frPSI, uniquely differentiate Amy+ from Amy- participants with aMCI.
  • These findings suggest that SI errors reflect deficits in inhibition and source memory in preclinical AD, potentially offering a noninvasive diagnostic tool.
  • This method may successfully distinguish true AD cases from those with SNAP.

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