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Age-Associated Memory Loss: Initial Neuropsychological and Cerebral Metabolic Findings of a Longitudinal Study

1994; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s1041610294001596

1741-203X

Gary W. Small, Anna Okonek, M. Mandelkern, Asenath La Rue, Linda Chang, A. Khonsary, J. Ropchan, William H. Blahd,

Memory and Neural Mechanisms

To determine the relationships between clinical and brain function in persons with a familial risk for Alzheimer's disease, the authors assessed subjective and objective cognitive abilities, mood state, and cerebral glucose metabolism (using positron emission tomography) in 43 persons with age-associated memory impairment, with and without first-degree relatives with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Subjective complaints of memory loss, mood state ratings, and objective memory measures were similar in persons with a family history of Alzheimer's disease ( n = 29) compared to those without such a history ( n = 14). Metabolic ratios in the frontal regions correlated with a decrease in a specific type of subjective memory complaint (mnemonics usage; p < .001) and some mood state ratings. These results indicate that parietal and temporal hypometabolism is not evident in persons with mild age-related memory complaints, even when such subjects have a familial risk for Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, self-reports of mnemonics usage may be sensitive indicators of decreased frontal lobe function. Longitudinal study will determine whether such clinical and metabolic measures will predict eventual disease progression.