Poster Session 06 Program Schedule
02/15/2024
04:00 pm - 05:15 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)
Poster Session 06: Aging | MCI | Neurodegenerative Disease - PART 2
Final Abstract #86
Caregiver Report Insight of Disinhibitive Symptoms and Relationship with Cognitive Functioning
Christopher Reeves, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, United States
Ruth Morin, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, United States
Lauren Bennett, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, United States
Ashley Miller, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, United States
Category: MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment)
Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: disinhibition
Keyword 3: caregiver burden
Objective:
Previous research has mixed notions about how inhibitory functions may impact attention and language in day-to-day functioning. Access, Deletion, and Restraint are the three components necessary within the inhibitory process. The inhibitory theory proposes three major functions required to control overactivation in response to environmental and thought cues. The ability of the individual to suppress motor actions or even language production that aligns with the individual's social goals may decrease inhibitory functions over time. This study's primary purpose is to examine the caregiver's insight into inhibition symptoms (i.e., caregiver report of severity of disinhibition) and its relationship to executive functioning and processing speed performance.
Participants and Methods:
Participants who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment in an outpatient community neurology clinic and also had a caregiver complete the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) were included in the sample. The analyses focused on the domains that are known to be impacted by disinhibition, including various tests of executive functioning (i.e., Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System [D-KEFS] Color-Word Interference Test, Verbal Fluency, and Trails Making Test or Trails A and B, Neuropsychological Assessment Battery [NAB] – Judgment, and the Test of Practical Judgment [TOP-J]). Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were conducted to understand the relationship between a caregiver's endorsement of disinhibition and performance on measures of executive functioning. A further correlation analysis was completed, assessing the relationship between the severity of disinhibition reported by the caregiver and measures of executive functioning.
Results:
176 participants met the criteria of having completed a full neuropsychological battery and had a caregiver complete the NPI-Q. An initial analysis found a caregiver's endorsement of the presence of disinhibition was associated with poorer performance on a measure of verbal set-shifting (total and accuracy), t(166) = -3.12, p < 0.05; t(166) = -2.99, p < 0.05]). Additionally, a bivariate correlation analysis found that poorer scores on a measure of verbal set-shifting (D-KEFS Verbal Fluency) were associated with a caregiver's impression of disinhibition severity, r = -.27, p < 0.05. Further correlation analysis did not reveal a significant association on measures of executive functioning and disinhibition severity.
Conclusions:
Those patients whose caregivers endorsed disinhibition performed significantly poorer on a measure of verbal set-shifting relative to those whose caregivers’ did not endorse concerns related to disinhibition. Additionally, poorer performance on a measure of verbal set-shifting and greater disinhibition severity were significantly correlated, suggesting that a caregiver's awareness of disinhibition symptoms may suggest the presence of more notable cognitive declines. Endorsement of disinhibition may indicate a need for further cognitive assessment to detect early cognitive change and inform treatment planning, including support for the patient, caregiver, and family.
| 
