INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	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 #89 Domain-Specific Changes in Informant-Rated Everyday Cognition Skills Over Time Isabella Robles, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States Brandon Gavett, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States Dan Mungas, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States Evan Fletcher, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States Category: Dementia (Alzheimer's Disease) Keyword 1: dementia - Alzheimer's disease Keyword 2: cognitive functioning Objective: The Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale is commonly used to measure changes in daily tasks that correspond to six cognitive domains: memory, language, visuospatial, planning, organization, and divided attention. We sought to determine whether domain-specific ECog scores – both intercepts and slopes – were distinct enough to be modeled separately, or whether they could be summarized by a total scale score. We also examined whether change in ECog was differentially influenced by several important markers of neuropathology. Participants and Methods: Participants were 741 older adults (M_Age = 75.5 +/- 7.1, M_Edu = 13.8 +/- 5.5, 25% Black, 22% Hispanic, 48% White) whose informants completed an annual ECog questionnaire an average of 4.6 (+/- 2.9) times. Bayesian mixed effects regression was used to examine whether domain-specific intercepts and slopes were statistically distinct, whether memory vs. non-memory slopes were associated with change in clinical diagnosis over time, and whether memory vs. non-memory slopes could be differentially predicted by baseline values of gray matter volume, temporal lobe volume, and hippocampus volume after accounting for the effects of age, education, and gender. Results: Domain-specific ECog intercepts were consistently different from one another, suggesting value in interpreting these scores as separate constructs. Statistically, there was a small but nonzero difference in rate of change over time between memory and non-memory domains. However, treating memory vs. non-memory slopes as separate did not improve overall model fit. While larger values of baseline gray matter volume, temporal lobe volume, and hippocampal volume were associated with a less rapid worsening of ECog scores, they did not differentially predict rate of change in memory vs. non-memory domains. When analyzing ECog slopes by diagnosis change group (e.g., normal-to-MCI, MCI-to-dementia), the only significant difference between rate of change in memory and non-memory domains was seen in the MCI-to-dementia group, with memory scores worsening less rapidly than non-memory scores over time. However, this is likely due to the memory domain score already being more impaired than other domains at baseline for MCI participants. Conclusions: As expected, larger baseline volumes of gray matter, temporal lobe, and hippocampus were associated with less rapid worsening of ECog scores over time. However they did not—even after accounting for covariates of age, education, and gender—predict significantly different slopes for memory vs. non-memory domains. Similar to many studies of cognitive performance, these results suggest that domain-specific everyday cognitive skills are dissociable when measured cross-sectionally and at baseline but that change is most parsimoniously summarized by a global summary score.

Poster

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 #89

Domain-Specific Changes in Informant-Rated Everyday Cognition Skills Over Time

Isabella Robles, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States
Brandon Gavett, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States
Dan Mungas, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States
Evan Fletcher, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States
Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, UC Davis, Sacramento, United States

Category: Dementia (Alzheimer's Disease)

Keyword 1: dementia - Alzheimer's disease
Keyword 2: cognitive functioning

Objective:

The Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale is commonly used to measure changes in daily tasks that correspond to six cognitive domains: memory, language, visuospatial, planning, organization, and divided attention. We sought to determine whether domain-specific ECog scores – both intercepts and slopes – were distinct enough to be modeled separately, or whether they could be summarized by a total scale score. We also examined whether change in ECog was differentially influenced by several important markers of neuropathology.

Participants and Methods:

Participants were 741 older adults (M_Age = 75.5 +/- 7.1, M_Edu = 13.8 +/- 5.5, 25% Black, 22% Hispanic, 48% White) whose informants completed an annual ECog questionnaire an average of 4.6 (+/- 2.9) times. Bayesian mixed effects regression was used to examine whether domain-specific intercepts and slopes were statistically distinct, whether memory vs. non-memory slopes were associated with change in clinical diagnosis over time, and whether memory vs. non-memory slopes could be differentially predicted by baseline values of gray matter volume, temporal lobe volume, and hippocampus volume after accounting for the effects of age, education, and gender.

Results:

Domain-specific ECog intercepts were consistently different from one another, suggesting value in interpreting these scores as separate constructs. Statistically, there was a small but nonzero difference in rate of change over time between memory and non-memory domains. However, treating memory vs. non-memory slopes as separate did not improve overall model fit. While larger values of baseline gray matter volume, temporal lobe volume, and hippocampal volume were associated with a less rapid worsening of ECog scores, they did not differentially predict rate of change in memory vs. non-memory domains. When analyzing ECog slopes by diagnosis change group (e.g., normal-to-MCI, MCI-to-dementia), the only significant difference between rate of change in memory and non-memory domains was seen in the MCI-to-dementia group, with memory scores worsening less rapidly than non-memory scores over time. However, this is likely due to the memory domain score already being more impaired than other domains at baseline for MCI participants.

Conclusions:

As expected, larger baseline volumes of gray matter, temporal lobe, and hippocampus were associated with less rapid worsening of ECog scores over time. However they did not—even after accounting for covariates of age, education, and gender—predict significantly different slopes for memory vs. non-memory domains. Similar to many studies of cognitive performance, these results suggest that domain-specific everyday cognitive skills are dissociable when measured cross-sectionally and at baseline but that change is most parsimoniously summarized by a global summary score.