Emmanouilidou Eudokia, Moraitou Despina, Frantzi Nikoleta, Poptsi Eleni, Tsardoulias Emmanouil, Symeonidis Andreas L, Papantoniou Georgia, Sofologi Maria, Masoura Elvira, Tsentidou Glykeria, Katsouri Ioanna-Giannoula, Tsolaki Magda
Laboratory of Psychology, Department of Cognition, Brain and Behavior, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (CIRI-AUTh), 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Aug 26;15(17):2158. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15172158.
Early identification of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) is critically important. This study investigates whether early cognitive decline in preclinical AD can be detected through the executive functioning index R4Alz-pc by predicting memory-related worry and negative affect. A sample of 105 cognitively healthy, community-dwelling older adults (M = 59.25 years) completed the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) and the R4Alz-pc index battery. Lower performance on the R4Alz-pc index was significantly associated with increased negative affect related to memory. Mediation analysis indicated that memory-related worry mediated the relationship between executive dysfunction and negative affect. This study highlights the importance of early, objective cognitive assessment using easy-to-administer and non-invasive tools like the R4Alz-pc, enabling timely detection and intervention for preclinical AD. Such methods may reduce reliance on costly biomarker-based diagnostics.
临床前阿尔茨海默病（AD）的早期识别至关重要。本研究通过预测与记忆相关的担忧和负面影响，调查是否可以通过执行功能指数R4Alz-pc检测临床前AD的早期认知衰退。105名认知健康、居住在社区的老年人（M = 59.25岁）完成了多因素记忆问卷（MMQ）和R4Alz-pc指数测试。R4Alz-pc指数表现较低与与记忆相关的负面影响增加显著相关。中介分析表明，与记忆相关的担忧介导了执行功能障碍与负面影响之间的关系。本研究强调了使用R4Alz-pc等易于实施且非侵入性的工具进行早期客观认知评估的重要性，从而能够对临床前AD进行及时检测和干预。此类方法可能会减少对基于昂贵生物标志物的诊断的依赖。
