Anosognosia of financial ability in mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Although financial ability has been well-studied in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using performance-based financial capacity assessment instruments, research is limited investigating everyday financial problems and declines in persons with AD and MCI and the insight of people with MCI to recognize that financial capacity declines are occurring. To address this gap in the research, we investigated everyday financial activities and skills in a sample of older adults representing the dementia spectrum. METHODS: Participants were 186 older adults in three diagnostic classifications: cognitively healthy, MCI likely due to AD, and mild AD dementia. Everyday financial ability was assessed using the Current Financial Activities Report (CFAR). The CFAR is a standardized report-based measure which elicits participant and study partner ratings about a participant's everyday financial abilities. RESULTS: Results showed that both CFAR self- and study partner-report distinguished diagnostic groups on key financial capacity variables in a pattern consistent with level of clinical pathology. Study partner-report indicated higher levels of financial skill difficulties in study participants than did the self-report of the same study participants. Study partner-ratings were more highly correlated with participant scores on a performance-based measure of financial capacity than were participant self-ratings. Results also showed that loss of awareness of financial decline is emerging at the MCI stage of AD. CONCLUSIONS: People with MCI represent a group of older adults at particular risk for financial missteps and-similar to people with AD-are in need of supervision of their financial skills and activities.

The Role of Cognitive Reserve in Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether cognitive reserve (CR) attenuates the initial impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cognitive performance (neural reserve) and results in faster cognitive recovery rates in the first year postinjury (neural compensation), and whether the advantage of CR differs on the basis of the severity of TBI. SETTING: Inpatient/outpatient clinics at an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with mild TBI (mTBI; n = 28), complicated mild TBI (cmTBI; n = 24), and moderate to severe TBI (msevTBI; n = 57), and demographically matched controls (n = 66). DESIGN: Retrospective, longitudinal cohort assessed at 1, 6, and 12 months postinjury. MAIN MEASURES: Outcomes were 3 cognitive domains: processing speed/executive function, verbal fluency, and memory. Premorbid IQ, estimated with the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, served as CR proxy. RESULTS: Higher premorbid IQ was associated with better performance on cognitive domains at 1 month postinjury, and the effect of IQ was similarly beneficial for all groups. Cognitive recovery rate was moderated only by TBI severity; those with more severe TBI had faster recovery in the first year. CONCLUSION: Results support only the neural reserve theory of CR within a TBI population and indicate that CR is neuroprotective, regardless of the degree of TBI. Higher premorbid CR does not allow for more rapid adaptation and recovery from injury.

Mild Cognitive Impairment and Changes in Everyday Function Over Time: The Importance of Evaluating Both Speed and Accuracy.

OBJECTIVES: Research estimates that a significant percentage of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) experience functional difficulties. In addition to reduced accuracy on measures of everyday function, cross-sectional research has demonstrated that speed of performing instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) is slowed in individuals with MCI. The present study investigated whether baseline and longitudinal changes in speed and accuracy of IADL performance differed between persons with MCI and cognitively normal peers. DESIGN: Linear mixed models were used to estimate the group differences in longitudinal performance on measures of IADLs. SETTING: Assessments were conducted at university and medical research centers. PARTICIPANTS: The sample consisted of 80 participants with MCI and 80 control participants who were enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Measuring Independent Living in the Elderly Study. MEASUREMENTS: Instrumental activities of daily living speed and accuracy were directly assessed using selected domains of the Financial Capacity Instrument, the Timed IADL assessment, and driving-related assessments (Useful Field of View, Road Sign Test). RESULTS: Individuals with MCI performed worse on speed and accuracy measures of IADLs in comparison to cognitively normal peers and demonstrated significantly steeper rates of decline over three years in either speed or accuracy in all domains assessed. CONCLUSION: Both speed and accuracy of performance on measures of IADL are valuable indices for early detection of functional change in MCI. The performance pattern may reflect a trade-off between speed and accuracy that can guide clinical recommendations for maintaining patient independence.

Neurocognitive Predictors of Declining Financial Capacity in Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

OBJECTIVE: To identify cognitive predictors of declining financial capacity (FC) in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Participants were 66 cognitively normal older adults and 49 persons with MCI who completed neuropsychological testing and a performance measure of financial capacity (Financial Capacity Instrument; FCI) at baseline and two-year follow-up. We calculated two-year change scores for neuropsychological tests and FCI total score. We examined bivariate correlations between demographic/clinical variables and FCI change score, and between neuropsychological and FCI change scores. The five strongest bivariate correlates were entered into a linear regression analysis to identify longitudinal predictors of financial decline within group. RESULTS: Persons with MCI showed significant decline on the FCI and most cognitive variables, while controls demonstrated relatively stable performance. For persons with MCI, education correlated with FCI change score. The top four cognitive variable-FCI change score correlations were written arithmetic, confrontation naming, immediate visual memory, and visual attention. In the regression model, written arithmetic was the primary predictor and visual memory and visual attention were secondary predictors of two-year FCI change scores. CONCLUSION: Semantic arithmetic knowledge, and to a lesser extent visual memory and attention, are key longitudinal cognitive predictors of financial skill decline in individuals with MCI. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians should consider neurocognitive abilities of written arithmetic, visual memory, and processing speed in their assessments of financial capacity in person with MCI.

Both Financial and Cognitive Decline Predict Clinical Progression in MCI.

We investigated the roles of financial/functional and cognitive abilities in predicting clinical progression in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In a longitudinal sample of 51 patients with consensus conference diagnosed MCI likely due to Alzheimer disease (AD), two-year change scores were calculated for a performance measure of functional ability, cognitive variables, and 3 outcome measures used to track progression in neurological disorders. We examined patterns of financial and cognitive decline across the 2-year study period, and used these data and the 3 outcome variables to construct discrete predictor models of clinical progression in MCI. We found that both financial skills and cognitive abilities declined over the 2-year study period, were significantly associated with clinical progression, and contributed unique variance to all 3 predictor models. The resulting models accounted for 40% to 75% of variance in clinical progression across outcome variables. Taken together, our results indicate that changes in both cognitive abilities and higher order functional skills appear integral to understanding clinical progression in MCI likely due to AD. Specifically, declines in financial skills contribute unique variance to measures commonly used to track progression in neurological disorders associated with aging, and thus represent an important functional marker of clinical progression in prodromal AD.

Introducing demographic corrections for the 10/36 Spatial Recall Test.

OBJECTIVE: The 10/36 Spatial Recall Test is a measure of visuospatial memory and has been recommended for inclusion when administering a brief cognitive assessment to patients with multiple sclerosis by multiple groups. However, a notable limitation of the measure includes a lack of normative data with demographic corrections. Thus, the primary objective of the current study was to examine demographic influences on the 10/36 Spatial Recall Test and to introduce demographically corrected normative data for the instrument. METHODS: Data were collected from 116 participants over the age of 50 years. All study participants were free of any neurologic disease or disorder and classified as cognitively intact by a consensus conference team that was comprised of neurologists and neuropsychologists. All study participants were administered a neuropsychological evaluation that included the 10/36 Spatial Recall Test Version A at the baseline visit. RESULTS: 10/36 Spatial Recall Test scores were affected by age, education, and race. Gender effects were not observed. Given these effects, regression equations were used to correct for the effects of demographic variables. The z-scores obtained from these corrections were not significantly influenced by demographical variables. CONCLUSION: The demographic corrections introduced in this paper offer the possibility to enhance the clinical utility of the 10/36 Spatial Recall Test.

Neurocognitive Models of Medical Decision-Making Capacity in Traumatic Brain Injury Across Injury Severity.

OBJECTIVE: To identify neurocognitive predictors of medical decision-making capacity (MDC) in participants with mild and moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). SETTING: Academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty adult controls and 104 adults with TBI (49 mild, 55 moderate/severe) evaluated within 6 weeks of injury. DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional study. MAIN MEASURES: Participants completed the Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument to assess MDC and a neuropsychological test battery. We used factor analysis to reduce the battery test measures into 4 cognitive composite scores (verbal memory, verbal fluency, academic skills, and processing speed/executive function). We identified cognitive predictors of the 3 most clinically relevant Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument consent standards (appreciation, reasoning, and understanding). RESULTS: In controls, academic skills (word reading, arithmetic) and verbal memory predicted understanding; verbal fluency predicted reasoning; and no predictors emerged for appreciation. In the mild TBI group, verbal memory predicted understanding and reasoning, whereas academic skills predicted appreciation. In the moderate/severe TBI group, verbal memory and academic skills predicted understanding; academic skills predicted reasoning; and academic skills and verbal fluency predicted appreciation. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal memory was a predictor of MDC in controls and persons with mild and moderate/severe TBI. In clinical practice, impaired verbal memory could serve as a "red flag" for diminished consent capacity in persons with recent TBI.

Cognitive, social, and neural determinants of diminished decision-making and financial exploitation risk in aging and dementia: A review and new model.

In this article we will briefly review how changes in brain and in cognitive and social functioning, across the spectrum from normal to pathological aging, can lead to decision-making impairments that increase abuse risk in many life domains (e.g., health care, social engagement, financial management). The review will specifically focus on emerging research identifying neural, cognitive, and social markers of declining financial decision-making capacity in older adults. We will highlight how these findings are opening avenues for early detection and new interventions to reduce exploitation risk.

Cognitive predictors of understanding treatment decisions in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Medical decision-making capacity is a higher-order functional skill that refers to a patient's ability to make informed, sound decisions related to care and treatment. In a medical context, understanding is the most cognitively demanding consent standard and refers to a patient's ability to comprehend information to the extent that informed decisions can be made. METHODS: The association between reasoning and cognition was examined using data from 41 patients with diagnosed brain metastasis. All diagnoses were made by a board-certified radiation oncologist and were verified histologically. In total, 41 demographically matched, cognitively healthy controls were also included to aid in classifying patients with brain metastasis according to reasoning status (ie, intact or impaired). RESULTS: Results indicate that measures of simple attention, verbal fluency, verbal memory, processing speed, and executive functioning were all associated with understanding, and that verbal memory and phonemic fluency were the primary cognitive predictors. Using these two primary predictors, equations can be constructed to predict the ability to understand treatment decisions in patients with brain metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, these data demonstrate how cognitive measures can estimate understanding as it relates to medical decision-making capacities in these patients. Clinically, these findings suggest that poor verbal memory and expressive language function could serve as "red flags" for reduced consent capacity in this patient population, thus signaling that a more comprehensive medical decision-making capacity evaluation is warranted.

Capacity of patients with brain metastases to make treatment decisions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate medical decision-making capacity (MDC) in patients with brain metastases. METHODS: Participants were 41 adults with brain metastases with Karnofsky Performance Status scores of ≥70 who were recruited from an academic medical center and 41 demographically matched controls recruited from the community. We evaluated MDC using the Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument and its four clinically relevant consent standards (expressing a treatment choice, appreciation, reasoning, and understanding). Capacity impairment ratings (no impairment, mild/moderate impairment, and severe impairment) on the consent standards were also assigned to each participant with brain metastasis using cutoff scores derived statistically from the performance of the control group. RESULTS: The brain metastasis patient group performed significantly below controls on consent standards of understanding and reasoning. Capacity compromise was defined as performance ≤1.5 standard deviations below the control group mean. Using this definition, approximately 60% of the participants with brain metastases demonstrated capacity compromise on at least one MDC standard. CONCLUSION: When defining capacity compromise as performance ≤1.5 standard deviation below the control group mean, over half of patients with brain metastases have reduced capacity to make treatment decisions. This impairment is demonstrated shortly after initial diagnosis of brain metastases and highlights the importance of routine clinical assessment of MDC following diagnosis of brain metastasis. These results also indicate a need for the development and investigation of interventions to support or improve MDC in this patient population.

Cognition in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis: profiles and implications.

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in patients with brain metastasis, and significant cognitive dysfunction is prevalent in a majority of patients who are still able to engage in basic self-care activities. In the current study, the neurocognitive performance of 32 patients with brain metastasis and 32 demographically-matched controls was examined using a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests, with the goal of comprehensively examining the cognitive functioning of newly diagnosed brain metastasis patients. The cognition of all patients was assessed within 1 week of beginning treatment for brain metastasis. Results indicated impairments in verbal memory, attention, executive functioning, and language in relation to healthy controls. Performance in relation to appropriate normative groups was also examined. Overall, cognitive deficits were prevalent and memory was the most common impairment. Given that cognitive dysfunction was present in this cohort of patients with largely minimal functional impairment, these results have implications for patients, caregivers and health care providers treating patients with brain metastasis.

Recovery over 6 months of medical decision-making capacity after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate recovery of medical decision-making capacity (MDC) over 6 months in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) stratified by injury severity. DESIGN: Longitudinal study comparing controls and patients with TBI 1 month after injury (t1) and 6 months after injury (t2). SETTING: Inpatient TBI rehabilitation unit and outpatient neurology department. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=151) consisted of control subjects (n=60) and patients with TBI (n=91) stratified by injury severity: mild TBI (mTBI; n=27), complicated mild TBI (cmTBI; n=20), and moderate/severe TBI (msevTBI; n=44). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument to evaluate MDC performance on 5 consent standards (expressing choice, reasonable choice, appreciation, reasoning, and understanding). We also assigned capacity impairment ratings on the consent standards to each participant with TBI using cut scores referenced to control performance. RESULTS: Control performance was stable across time on the consent standards. Patients with mTBI and cmTBI performed below controls on the understanding standard at t1 but not t2. Patients with msevTBI performed below controls on appreciation, reasoning, and understanding at t1, and on appreciation and understanding at t2, but showed substantial improvement over time. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of injury severity, all groups with TBI demonstrated baseline impairment of MDC with subsequent partial or full recovery of MDC over a 6-month period. However, a sizeable proportion of individual patients with TBI in each group continued to demonstrate capacity compromise at 6 months postinjury. Clinically, this finding suggests that individuals with TBI, regardless of injury severity, need continued monitoring regarding MDC for at least 6 months after injury.

Clinical and ethical aspects of financial capacity in dementia: a commentary.

In contrast to issues such as treatment and research consent capacity, financial capacity has received relatively little clinical and ethical attention in the dementia literature. Yet issues of financial capacity emerge frequently in patients with Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and related dementias, and commonly present ethical and clinical challenges for clinicians treating these patients. These issues include whether a patient with possible dementia has sufficient capacity to manage independently their financial affairs, needs referral for financial capacity assessment, and/or is being financially exploited or abused by others. The accurate identification, assessment and successful handling of such financial capacity issues can have a substantial impact on the financial and psychological well-being of patients and their family members. This commentary presents an overview of financial capacity and associated clinical and ethical issues in dementia and describes a set of possible clinician roles regarding these issues as they arise in clinical practice. The commentary concludes with a section describing educational resources available to clinicians and bioethicists seeking additional guidance in handling financial capacity issues. The ultimate goal of the article is to focus clinical and ethical attention on a neglected capacity that is of fundamental importance for patients, families, and healthcare and legal professionals.

Clinical and ethical aspects of financial capacity in dementia: a commentary.

In contrast to issues like treatment and research consent capacity, financial capacity has received relatively little clinical and ethical attention in the dementia literature. Yet issues of financial capacity emerge frequently in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and related dementias, and commonly present ethical and clinical challenges for clinicians treating these patients. These issues include whether a patient with possible dementia has sufficient capacity independently to manage their financial affairs, needs referral for financial capacity assessment, and/or is being financially exploited or abused by others. The accurate identification, assessment and successful handling of such financial capacity issues can have a substantial impact on the financial and psychological well-being of patients and their family members. The present commentary presents an overview of financial capacity and associated clinical and ethical issues in dementia, and describes a set of possible clinician roles regarding these issues as they arise in clinical practice. The commentary concludes with a section describing educational resources available to clinicians and bioethicists seeking additional guidance in handling financial capacity issues. The ultimate goal of the paper is to focus clinical and ethical attention on a neglected capacity that is of fundamental importance for patients, families, and health care and legal professionals.

Lower hippocampal volume predicts decrements in lane control among drivers with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES: There are few methods to discern driving risks in patients with early dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We aimed to determine whether structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hippocampus-a biomarker of probable Alzheimer pathology and a measure of disease severity in those affected--is linked to objective ratings of on-road driving performance in older adults with and without amnestic MCI. METHODS: In all, 49 consensus-diagnosed participants from an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (15 diagnosed with amnestic MCI and 34 demographically similar controls) underwent structural MRI and on-road driving assessments. RESULTS: Mild atrophy of the left hippocampus was associated with less-than-optimal ratings in lane control but not with other discrete driving skills. Decrements in left hippocampal volume conferred higher risk for less-than-optimal lane control ratings in the patients with MCI (B = -1.63, standard error [SE] = .74, Wald = 4.85, P = .028), but not in controls (B = 0.13, SE = .415, Wald = 0.10, P = .752). The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for below-optimal lane control in the MCI group was 4.41 (1.18-16.36), which was attenuated to 3.46 (0.88-13.60) after accounting for the contribution of left hippocampal volume. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there may be a link between hippocampal atrophy and difficulties with lane control in persons with amnestic MCI. Further study appears warranted to better discern patterns of brain atrophy in MCI and Alzheimer disease and whether these could be early markers of clinically meaningful driving risk.

Item Response Analysis of the Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form.

OBJECTIVE: The Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form (FCI-SF) is a performance-based measure of everyday financial skills that takes 15 min to administer. Although the FCI-SF has demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, advanced psychometric methods such as item response theory (IRT) can provide important information on the performance of individual test items in measuring financial capacity and in distinguishing between healthy and cognitively impaired individuals. METHOD: Participants were 272 older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 1,344 cognitively healthy controls recruited from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and also from the Cognitive Observations in Seniors study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Participants in each study were administered the FCI-SF, which evaluates coin/currency calculation, financial conceptual knowledge, use of a checkbook/register, and use of a bank statement. RESULTS: A unidimensional two-parameter logistic model best fit the 37 FCI-SF Test items, and most FCI-SF items fit the unidimensional two-parameter model well. The results indicated that all FCI-SF items robustly distinguished cognitively healthy controls from persons with MCI. CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed that the FCI-SF performed well under IRT analysis, further highlighted the psychometric properties of the FCI-SF as a valid and reliable measure of financial capacity, and demonstrated the clinical utility of the FCI-SF in distinguishing between cognitively normal and cognitively impaired individuals.

Neurocognitive predictors of financial capacity in traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To develop cognitive models of financial capacity (FC) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Longitudinal design. SETTING: Inpatient brain injury rehabilitation unit. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty healthy controls, and 24 adults with moderate-to-severe TBI were assessed at baseline (30 days postinjury) and 6 months postinjury. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The FC instrument (FCI) and a neuropsychological test battery. Univariate correlation and multiple regression procedures were employed to develop cognitive models of FCI performance in the TBI group, at baseline and 6-month time follow-up. RESULTS: Three cognitive predictor models of FC were developed. At baseline, measures of mental arithmetic/working memory and immediate verbal memory predicted baseline FCI performance (R = 0.72). At 6-month follow-up, measures of executive function and mental arithmetic/working memory predicted 6-month FCI performance (R = 0.79), and a third model found that these 2 measures at baseline predicted 6-month FCI performance (R = 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple cognitive functions are associated with initial impairment and partial recovery of FC in moderate-to-severe TBI patients. In particular, arithmetic, working memory, and executive function skills appear critical to recovery of FC in TBI. The study results represent an initial step toward developing a neurocognitive model of FC in patients with TBI.

Cognitive Correlates of Impaired Testamentary Capacity in Alzheimer's Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Testamentary capacity (TC) is a legal construct about the ability to make or change a will. Although studies of financial and medical capacities have noted a strong association between capacity and cognition, no study has examined the cognitive correlates of TC in Alzheimer's disease (ad). METHODS: Study participants were 22 cognitively healthy controls and 20 persons with mild to moderate ad who were administered a neuropsychological battery and the Testamentary Capacity Instrument (TCI), a new performance-based measure of TC. Both TCI Element and TCI Total scores were calculated. TCI Total scores were calculated for the purposes of expanding correlational analyses (i.e., Pearson's product-moment) and are not intended for forensic TC evaluations. Final predictors were identified using linear and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: All ad participants but one obtained TCI Totals that fell >2.5 standard deviations below the control group mean. Initial cognitive correlates of TCI performance were measures of general cognition, language, verbal memory, executive function, and processing speed. The four cognitive variables showing the highest t values and correlating with TCI Total score > 0.7 were entered into logistic and linear regression models. Final predictor models consisted of measures of verbal memory, executive function, and semantic knowledge and demonstrated shared variance of 0.71 (linear) and 0.82 (logistic). CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis of ad dementia is associated with clinical impairment in TC and associated cognitive abilities and indicates that a legal assessment of TC is warranted. Second, the results offer insight into the cognitive basis of TC in persons with Alzheimer's dementia.

Association of Performance on the Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form With Brain Amyloid Load and Cortical Thickness in Older Adults.

Background and Objectives: To investigate the association of the Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form (FCI-SF) performance and timing total scores with brain ß-amyloid and cortical thickness in cognitively unimpaired (CU) (at baseline) older adults. Methods: A total of 309 participants (aged 70 years or older) of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging underwent 11C-Pittsburgh compound B PET amyloid imaging and MRI, and completed the FCI-SF. Abnormal amyloid PET was defined as standardized uptake value ratio ≥1.48 in an Alzheimer disease (AD)-related region of interest and reduced AD signature cortical thickness as ≤2.68 mm (neurodegeneration). A cohort of 218 (of the 309) participants had follow-up visits (every 15 months) with FCI-SF data for longitudinal analysis (number of visits including baseline, median [range]: 2 [2-4]). In the analysis, we used linear regression and mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, education, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele status, global cognitive z score, and previous FCI-SF testing. Results: Participants' mean age (SD) was 80.2 (4.8) years (56.3% male individuals). In cross-sectional analysis, abnormal amyloid PET (vs normal) was associated with a lower FCI-SF total score and slower total composite time. In longitudinal analysis, FCI-SF total score declined faster (difference in annualized rate of change, beta coefficient [ß] [95% confidence interval (CI)] = -1.123 [-2.086 to -0.161]) and FCI-SF total composite time increased faster (difference in annualized rate of change, ß [95% CI] = 16.274 [5.951 to 26.597]) for participants with neurodegeneration at baseline (vs those without). Participants who exhibited both abnormal amyloid PET and neurodegeneration at baseline had a greater increase in total composite time when compared with the group without abnormal amyloid and without neurodegeneration (difference in annualized rate of change, ß [95% CI] = 16.750 [3.193 to 30.307]). Discussion: Performance and processing speed on the FCI-SF were associated with imaging biomarkers of AD pathophysiology in CU (at baseline) older adults. Higher burdens of imaging biomarkers were associated with longitudinal worsening on FCI-SF performance. Additional research is needed to delineate further these associations and their predictive utility at the individual person level.

Cognitive Processing Speed Is Strongly Related to Driving Skills, Financial Abilities, and Other Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive processing speed is important for performing everyday activities in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, its role in daily function has not been examined while simultaneously accounting for contributions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk biomarkers. We examine the relationships of processing speed and genetic and neuroimaging biomarkers to composites of daily function, mobility, and driving. METHOD: We used baseline data from 103 participants on the MCI/mild dementia spectrum from the Applying Programs to Preserve Skills trial. Linear regression models examined relationships of processing speed, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and genetic risk alleles for AD to composites of performance-based instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), community mobility, and on-road driving evaluations. RESULTS: In multivariable models, processing speed and the brain MRI neurodegeneration biomarker Spatial Pattern of Abnormality for Recognition of Early Alzheimer's disease (SPARE-AD) were significantly associated with functional and mobility composite performance. Better processing speed and younger age were associated with on-road driving ratings. Genetic risk markers, left hippocampal atrophy, and white matter lesion volumes were not significant correlates of these abilities. Processing speed had a strong positive association with IADL function (p < .001), mobility (p < .001), and driving (p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive processing speed is strongly and consistently associated with critical daily functions in persons with MCI in models including genetic and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD risk. SPARE-AD scores also significantly correlate with IADL performance and mobility. Results highlight the central role of processing speed in everyday task performance among persons with MCI/mild dementia.