Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Spatial memory can be impaired in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The present study investigates categorical spatial memory deficits using a virtual navigation-based reorientation task.
METHODS
Twenty-eight amnestic single domain and 23 amnestic multiple domain patients were compared with 53 healthy elderly controls on the performance of the virtual reorientation test (VReoT).
RESULTS
The reorientation performance of participants in both aMCI groups was significantly worse than that of controls suggesting that VReoT detects spatial memory deficits. No significant difference emerged between the 2 groups of patients. A subsequent receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that a score of 8 had a sensitivity of 80.4% and a specificity of 94.3% (area under the curve = 0.90).
CONCLUSION
The VReoT seemed to be accurate in differentiating patients with aMCI from controls and may represent an evaluation supplement for spatial memory deficits in prodromal stages of Alzheimer's dementia.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Caffò AO, De Caro MF, Picucci L, Notarnicola A, Settanni A, Livrea P, Lancioni GE, Bosco A

Institution

Department of Psychology and Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.

Source

American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 27:5 2012 Aug pg 321-30

MeSH

Aged
Case-Control Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Memory Disorders
Middle Aged
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Neuropsychological Tests
Predictive Value of Tests
ROC Curve
Sensitivity and Specificity

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22815081