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Background Evidence suggests that select hippocampal subfields are implicated in the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are selectively involved in objective memory. Less is known whether subfields are associated with informant-reported memory difficulties of individuals with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method Data from 56 participants with a diagnosis of amnestic MCI were included in the present study. To test whether FreeSurfer derived hippocampal subfields (CA1–4, subiculum, presubiculum, and dentate gyrus) were associated with objective (learning and delayed recall) and informant-reports of memory difficulties, we used multiple linear regression analysis. Subfields were adjusted for total intracranial volume, and age, sex, and years of education were included as covariates in all models. Results Larger presubiculum, subiculum, and CA4/dentate gyrus volumes were associated with higher delayed recall scores, and larger subiculum and CA4/dentate gyrus volumes were associated with fewer informant-reports of memory difficulties. There were no statistically significant associations between subfields and learning scores. Discussion Findings from the present study support the idea that difficulties with memory-dependent everyday tasks in older adults with MCI may signal a neurodegenerative process while increasing understanding of subfields correlates of these memory-specific functional difficulties. Continued investigations into identifying patterns of subfield atrophy in AD may aid early identification of those at higher risk of dementia conversion while advancing precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely used as a brief screening measure to characterize overall cognitive status. Although only delayed free recall of the brief 5‐item memory list contributes to widely used MoCA total scores, the optional cued recall and multiple‐choice recognition subtests may provide better diagnostic accuracy than free recall alone. Method: Data on 719 individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment and 601 cognitively unimpaired controls were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) delayed free recall condition was used to characterize level of memory performance. Participants with demographically adjusted T‐scores of ≤ 2 SDs below the mean were classified as 'impaired.' Binary logistic regressions assessed if combined MoCA cued/recognition performance was a significant predictor of impaired delayed recall on the AVLT beyond the contribution of free recall and while covarying for age, education, and gender. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio values were also examined for the MoCA free recall and combined cued/recognition scores. Result: Free recall on the MoCA was a significant predictor of delayed recall on the AVLT (b = ‐1.207, Wald χ2 (1) = 128.044, p < 0.001, OR = 0.299, 95%CI = [0.243, 0.369]. The addition of the combined MoCA cued recall/recognition conditions improved the overall model fit (χ2(1) = 30.616, p<.001) and predicted impaired AVLT recall such that for every additional word on combined MoCA cued recall/recognition, the likelihood of being in the AVLT memory impaired group decreased by 33% (b = ‐0.400, Wald χ2 (1) = 29.834, p < 0.001, OR = 0.670, 95%CI = [0. 581, 0.774]). Combined MoCA cued recall/recognition had both higher specificity and likelihood ratios in detecting AVLT memory impairment than MoCA free recall, while higher sensitivity values were present for MoCA free recall (see Table 1). Conclusion: Use of combined cued/recognition memory conditions provides clinicians with improved diagnostic accuracy in detecting memory impairment. In settings where specificity in detecting memory impairment is important, administration of the MoCA free recall as well as cued recall and recognition conditions is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given the lack of comprehensive neuropsychological tools in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a need to examine the clinical utility of dementia cognitive screeners in this setting. We examined the contribution of sociodemographic factors to performance on the Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSID) in Congolese older adults. Methods: 354 participants (mean age = 73.6 ± 6.7, mean education (years) =7.3 ± 4.7; 50% female) were randomly recruited. All participants completed the CSID (mean = 25.23 ± 4.19). Multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the contribution of age, education, sex, and the interactions between education, school type, and participant income to CSID raw scores. Raw scores were demographically adjusted for education and sex by adding 1 point for ≤12 years of education and 1 point for female. Results: Older age (β = −0.362, p < 0.001), fewer years of education (β = −0.335, p = 0.022), female sex (β = −0.223, p = 0.035), and public schools (β = −0.185, p = 0.008) were associated with lower CSID scores. There was a trend for lower-income associated with lower CSID scores (β = −0.185, p = 0.062). The interaction between education and school was significant (p = 0.007), with education having a stronger effect on CSID scores for private (β = 0.25) relative to public schools (β = 0.16). The effect of education and sex decreased in the education- and sex-adjusted CSID scores (education β = 0.121; sex β = −0.0.056). Conclusion: We demonstrate that the effects of education on CSID varied based on sociodemographic characteristics in Congolese older adults, with private school associated with better performance. Given the effects of education and sex on performance, future studies should examine if demographically adjusted scores improve the sensitivity and specificity of the CSID in Congolese populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]