Calculation and number processing in mild Alzheimer's disease

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Neurology
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
• Mild dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) presents with cognitive deficits.
• Calculation and number processing are complex cognitive functions potentially affected in DAT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess calculation and number processing abilities in patients with mild DAT.
• To investigate the relationship between calculation/number processing and other cognitive functions like memory and language.
• To identify patterns of cognitive impairment in mild DAT using a standardized assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the EC301 standardized multitask assessment battery for 17 patients with mild DAT.
• Employed a specific visuo-perceptive task for patient selection to control for digit serial order analysis deficits.
• Evaluated language and memory skills using standardized testing procedures.

Main Results:

• The EC301 overall score indicated impaired performance in 12 out of 17 patients.
• Calculation and number processing scores correlated significantly with Mini-Mental State Examination and language performance.
• Single-case analyses revealed heterogeneous patterns of preserved and impaired abilities across calculation, memory, and language domains.

Conclusions:

• Mild DAT affects calculation and number processing abilities.
• Cognitive deficits in mild DAT are heterogeneous, impacting different cognitive domains and their subcomponents.
• Further research is needed to understand the specific neural mechanisms underlying these heterogeneous deficits in DAT.