Medisan (Oct 2019)
Clinical and Neuropsychological Profile of Possible Alzheimer subtype neurocognitive disorder
Abstract
Introduction: Alzheimer disease is presented with different neuropsychological phenotypes and it is considered that the memory disorder is its most important one; however, recent studies suggest that the dysfunctions in the executive functions can constitute very early markers of the disease. Objectives: To characterize the clinical and neuropsychological profiles that constitutes phenotypical markers of the neurocognitive disorders possible Alzheimer subtype. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study of 39 sick persons with ages between 57-85 years, classified according to the DSM-5 criteria, with cognitive mild and major disorder, classified from the etiological point of view in the possible Alzheimer subtype was carried out. Multiple cognitive domains were evaluated (complex attention, memory and learning, executive functions, language, motor and perceptual functions) and a detailed evaluation of the executive functions was made by means of a group of specific neuropsychological tests. Results: The statistical analysis demonstrated that comparing the two study groups with cognitive disorder, significant differences exist as for the level of cognitive performance in all the explored domains, except in the perception and motor functions. Likewise, the results demonstrated that the yielding level for each function evaluated within the domain of the executive functions is significantly different between both groups with cognitive disorder, except for the space orientation. Conclusions: The neuropsychological profile of the cognitive disorder Alzheimer possible subtype was characterized by a disorder in multiple domains, with predominance of the focused executive dysfunction in the areas of the mental flexibility and inhibition of automatisms.
