School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2010 Mar;16(2):318-25. doi: 10.1017/S1355617709991354. Epub 2010 Feb 3.
When compared with controls, both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are each associated with impaired memory for future intentions, or prospective memory (PM). However, prior studies have failed to agree on whether there are group differences in PM function between those with MCI and dementia. Furthermore, the degree and nature of the impairment remains to be clarified, as does the degree to which this impairment is secondary to deficits in other aspects of cognition. In the present study, MCI (n = 48), dementia (n = 39), and control participants (n = 53) were compared on Virtual Week, a measure that closely represents the types of PM tasks that occur in everyday life. Both clinical groups exhibited impairment irrespective of the specific task demands, but the magnitude of this deficit was greater for those with dementia. After covarying for other key cognitive parameters, although the absolute magnitude of the deficit was reduced, significant impairment remained. These results indicate that individuals with MCI, and to a greater extent dementia, experience generalized difficulties with PM. It is suggested that, while other cognitive deficits contribute to these difficulties, there is something unique to prospective remembering that may be additionally disrupted in these groups.
与对照组相比，轻度认知障碍（MCI）和痴呆症都与未来意图记忆（前瞻性记忆，PM）受损有关。然而，先前的研究未能就 MCI 和痴呆症患者之间的 PM 功能是否存在组间差异达成一致。此外，损害的程度和性质仍有待澄清，以及这种损害在多大程度上是由于认知其他方面的缺陷造成的。在本研究中，MCI 组（n = 48）、痴呆组（n = 39）和对照组（n = 53）在虚拟周进行了比较，这一措施非常接近日常生活中出现的 PM 任务类型。两个临床组都表现出了损害，无论具体的任务要求如何，但痴呆组的损害程度更大。在对其他关键认知参数进行协方差分析后，尽管缺陷的绝对程度有所降低，但仍存在显著的损害。这些结果表明，MCI 患者，尤其是痴呆症患者，在 PM 方面存在普遍的困难。这表明，虽然其他认知缺陷导致了这些困难，但对于前瞻性记忆来说，可能存在一些独特的、在这些群体中可能会受到额外干扰的因素。
