Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, UK.
Division of Population Medicine, Cardiff University, University Hospital Llandough, Penarth, Wales, UK.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;60(4):1601-1609. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170599.
This study examines the relationships between two measures of information processing speed associated with executive function (Trail Making Test and a computer-based visual search test), the perceived difficulty of the tasks, and perceived memory function (measured by the Memory Functioning Questionnaire) in older adults (aged 50+ y) with normal general health, cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of 26+), and mood. The participants were recruited from the community rather than through clinical services, and none had ever sought or received help from a health professional for a memory complaint or mental health problem. For both the trail making and the visual search tests, mean information processing speed was not correlated significantly with perceived memory function. Some individuals did, however, reveal substantially slower information processing speeds (outliers) that may have clinical significance and indicate those who may benefit most from further assessment and follow up. For the trail making, but not the visual search task, higher levels of subjective memory dysfunction were associated with a greater perception of task difficulty. The relationship between actual information processing speed and perceived task difficulty also varied with respect to the task used. These findings highlight the importance of taking into account the type of task and metacognition factors when examining the integrity of information processing speed in older adults, particularly as this measure is now specifically cited as a key cognitive subdomain within the diagnostic framework for neurocognitive disorders.
本研究考察了与执行功能相关的两种信息处理速度测量指标（连线测试和基于计算机的视觉搜索测试）、任务感知难度以及感知记忆功能（通过记忆功能问卷测量）之间的关系，这些指标在认知正常（蒙特利尔认知评估得分 26 分及以上）、情绪正常且一般健康的老年人（年龄 50 岁及以上）中进行评估。参与者是从社区招募的，而不是通过临床服务招募的，且他们都没有因为记忆问题或心理健康问题而向医疗保健专业人员寻求或寻求过帮助。对于连线测试和视觉搜索测试，信息处理速度的平均值与感知记忆功能没有显著相关。然而，有些个体的信息处理速度明显较慢（异常值），这可能具有临床意义，并表明那些可能最需要进一步评估和随访的人。对于连线测试，但不是视觉搜索任务，较高水平的主观记忆障碍与更高的任务感知难度相关。实际信息处理速度与感知任务难度之间的关系也因所使用的任务而异。这些发现强调了在检查老年人信息处理速度的完整性时，考虑任务类型和元认知因素的重要性，尤其是因为该指标现在被专门列为神经认知障碍诊断框架中的关键认知子领域。
