Famous faces naming test predicts conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease

The presence of semantic memory dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely investigated. Several studies have showed a higher degree of impairment in naming persons and objects, compared to general semantic knowledge in early stages of AD. The aim of this study was to investigate if the Famous Faces Naming Test can help to differentiate patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who will progress to AD and those who will not. A Famous Faces Naming Test was administered to 17 patients with MCI who did not convert to AD and eight patients with MCI who converted to AD 2 years later. MCI patients who converted to AD 2 years later performed significantly worse on Famous Faces Naming Test compared to MCI patients who did not convert over that time period. A neuropsychological task of semantic knowledge of famous people may be useful in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.