Paired associate performance in the early detection of DAT

Abstract

Subjects underwent longitudinal neuropsychological assessment in order to retrospectively determine which measures of cognitive function best predicted later development of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Three groups of subjects were studied: normal controls, patients with early DAT, and questionable dementia subjects (QD). All subjects were assessed using a battery of standard neuropsychological measures and two subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), paired associate learning and delayed matching to sample. A structured interview was also used to elicit a profile of the subject's daily functioning. Subjects were assessed every 6 months for 2 years. At the 6 month assessment, almost half of the QD group exhibited significant deterioration in scores on the computerized paired associate learning subtest, while maintaining their scores on standard measures. At the conclusion of the study, all of this QD subgroup fulfilled the NINCDS–ADRDA criteria for probable DAT pertaining to significant cognitive and functional deterioration. Performance on the CANTAB paired associate learning subtest identified the onset of progressive memory deterioration in a subgroup of QD subjects. In almost all cases this was well before significant deterioration was noted on standard neuropsychological measures. Paired associate learning performance may therefore be a valuable tool for the early, preclinical detection and assessment of DAT. (JINS, 2002,8, 58–71.)

Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of Commercially Available Computerized Cognitive Training Among Older Adults

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Item familiarity and controlled associative retrieval in Alzheimer's disease: An fMRI study

“…Studies that have used the Paired Associate Learning Task (PAL) from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB; Cambridge Cognition Place, UK) suggest that patients with AD (Lee et al, 2003) and patients with MCI (de Rover et al, 2011) have deficits in associative memory. Furthermore, Fowler et al (2002) found that performance on the PAL was impaired in early-stage AD patients, even before standard neuropsychological measures detected any deterioration. Along the same lines, Pariente et al (2005) found that AD patients' performance was reduced in a face-name association task.…”