Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (Jan 2020)

Instrumental activities of daily living, amyloid, and cognition in cognitively normal older adults screening for the A4 Study

  • Gad A. Marshall,
  • Sietske A. M. Sikkes,
  • Rebecca E. Amariglio,
  • Jennifer R. Gatchel,
  • Dorene M. Rentz,
  • Keith A. Johnson,
  • Oliver Langford,
  • Chung‐Kai Sun,
  • Michael C. Donohue,
  • Rema Raman,
  • Paul S. Aisen,
  • Reisa A. Sperling,
  • Douglas R. Galasko,
  • Full listing of A4 Study team and site personnel available at A4STUDY.org

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12118
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction We examined the associations among instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), cortical amyloid, and cognition in cognitively normal (CN) older adults. Methods CN participants screening for the A4 Study (n = 4486) underwent florbetapir (amyloid) positron emission tomography. IADL were assessed using the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Prevention Instrument. Separate logistic regression models were run with cortical amyloid or cognition as independent variable and IADL as dependent variable, adjusting for age and sex. Results IADL difficulties were endorsed infrequently (≤16%). Overall IADL and four select IADL item difficulties (“remembering appointments,” “finding belongings,” “following TV programs,” and “remembering current events”) reported by both participant and study partner were significantly associated with greater amyloid burden and worse cognition. Discussion Although IADL deficits were infrequent in this CN cohort, greater participant and study partner report of overall IADL deficits and subtle difficulties in specific IADL items were associated with mildly higher amyloid burden and worse cognition.

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