Promising outcome measures of early Alzheimer's dementia in adults with Down syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at high risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its associated dementia, warranting the development of strategies to improve early detection when prevention is possible. Methods Using a broad battery of neuropsychological assessments, informant interviews, and clinical record review, we evaluated the psychometrics of measures in a large sample of 561 adults with DS. We tracked longitudinal stability or decline in functioning in a subsample of 269 participants over a period of 3 years, all initially without indications of clinically significant aging‐related decline. Results Results identified an array of objective measures that demonstrated sensitivity in distinguishing individuals with incident “mild cognitive impairment” (MCI‐DS) as well as subsequent declines occurring with incident dementia. Discussion Several instruments showed clear promise for use as outcome measures for future clinical trials and for informing diagnosis of individuals suspected of experiencing early signs and symptoms of a progressive dementia process.

Keywords

• aging
• Alzheimer's disease
• Down syndrome
• mild cognitive impairment