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Categorical spatial memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer dementia: Positional versus object-location recall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2009

ROY P.C. KESSELS ,
STEFAN RIJKEN ,
LIESBETH W.A. JOOSTEN-WEYN BANNINGH ,
NELLEKE VAN SCHUYLENBORGH-VAN ES  and
MARCEL G.M. OLDE RIKKERT
ROY P.C. KESSELS*
Affiliation:
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands
STEFAN RIJKEN
Affiliation:
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Private practice “Op ’t Veld”, Cuijk, The Netherlands
LIESBETH W.A. JOOSTEN-WEYN BANNINGH
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands
NELLEKE VAN SCHUYLENBORGH-VAN ES
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands
MARCEL G.M. OLDE RIKKERT
Affiliation:
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Roy Kessels, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Medical Psychology, Internal post 925 – Geriatrics, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. E-mail: r.kessels@mps.umcn.nl
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Abstract

Memory for object locations, as part of spatial memory function, has rarely been studied in patients with Alzheimer dementia (AD), while studies in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients are lacking altogether. The present study examined categorical spatial memory function using the Location Learning Test (LLT) in MCI patients (n = 30), AD patients (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 40). Two scoring methods were compared, aimed at disentangling positional recall (location irrespective of object identity) and object-location binding. The results showed that AD patients performed worse than the MCI patients on the LLT, both on recall of positional information and on recall of the locations of different objects. In addition, both measures could validly discriminate between AD and MCI patients. These findings are in agreement with the notion that visual cued-recall tests may have better diagnostic value than traditional (verbal) free-recall tests in the assessment of patients with suspected MCI or AD. (JINS, 2010, 16, 200–204.)

Keywords

Spatial memoryMild cognitive impairmentAlzheimer dementiaNeuropsychological assessmentObject-location memoryNonverbal memoryAmnesia
Type
Brief Communications
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 200 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2009

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