Author:
Baptista Maria Alice Tourinho,Lacerda Isabel Barbeito,Belfort Tatiana,Nogueira Marcela Moreira Lima,de Oliveira Silva Felipe,Dourado Marcia Cristina Nascimento
Abstract
Introduction:
Executive function (EF) involves a general cognitive process linked to strategic organization and control of complex goal-oriented tasks. In young-onset dementia (YOD), especially Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms that stand out in the initial stage are deficits in attention, visual-spatial function, praxis, and language. The present study aims to investigate what components of EF differ in young and late-onset dementia (LOD) and its impact on awareness and its domains.
Methods:
Using a cross-sectional design, we included 44 people with YOD and 70 with LOD. We assessed awareness and its domains, cognition, dementia severity, EF, functionality, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Results:
The YOD group was more impaired in general cognition (P=0.017) and had a worse performance in Wechsler Digit Span Backward (DSB) (P=0.007) and Phonemic fluency task (FAS) (P=0.046) tests. In the LOD group, deficits in EF had a greater impact on awareness and on most domains (awareness total score, cognitive functioning and health condition, functional activity impairments and social function).
Conclusions:
Our study findings support the heterogeneity of awareness, not only with regard to the difference between the domains and the measures of EF, but also to the groups studied.
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health,Geriatrics and Gerontology,Gerontology,Clinical Psychology