Differential cognitive functioning in the digital clock drawing test in AD-MCI and PD-MCI populations

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is prevalent in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
• Distinct pathogenesis and cognitive profiles exist between AD-MCI and PD-MCI.
• The digital clock drawing test (dCDT) shows potential for assessing cognitive deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cognitive function differences between AD-MCI and PD-MCI using the dCDT.
• To determine if the dCDT can effectively distinguish between AD-MCI and PD-MCI populations.
• To develop digital biomarkers for characterizing cognitive impairments.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Participants included 40 AD-MCI, 40 PD-MCI, 41 PD-NC, and 40 NC individuals.
• The dCDT was utilized to extract digital biomarkers for cognitive assessment.

Main Results:

• The dCDT demonstrated significant differences in cognitive function between AD-MCI and PD-MCI populations (AUC=0.923).
• High educational attainment (≥12 years) further enhanced differentiation accuracy (AUC=0.968).
• dCDT performance scores correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) visuospatial/executive subtest scores (R=0.472, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• The dCDT serves as a rapid and accurate tool for characterizing and quantifying cognitive differences.
• It effectively distinguishes between AD-MCI and PD-MCI patient populations.
• Digital biomarkers from the dCDT hold promise for diagnosing and managing cognitive impairment.