Comparison of vascular cognitive impairment - no dementia by multiple classification methods

Abstract

Aims: To compare vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia (VCI-ND) using different classification methods. Methods: We recruited 56 patients with VCI-ND between April 2012 and March 2013. We used a battery of neuropsychological tests to classify patients with VCI-ND into different subtypes based on memory and executive function as follows: cognitive screening (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE), memory (Auditory Verbal Learning Test, AVLT), executive/attention (Shape Trails Test, STT; Stroop Color-Word Test, SCWT; Reading the Mind in the Eyes, RME; Digit Ordering Test-A, DOT-A; Symbol Digit Modalities Test, SDMT), language (Action Naming Test, ANT; Boston Naming Test, BNT; Famous Face Test, FFT; Similarity Test, ST; Verbal Fluency Test, VFT) and visuospatial function (Complex Figure Test, CFT). Results: The two groups had comparable demographic information (P > 0.05). Amnestic VCI-ND (aVCI-ND) patients obtained significantly lower scores compared with individuals with nonamnestic VCI-ND (naVCI-ND) on the AVLT memory test, VFT language test and VFT-alternating executive test (P < 0.05). Additionally, executive VCI-ND (eVCI-ND) patients performed significantly longer than nonexecutive VCI-ND (neVCI-ND) patients on the SCWT-C timed executive test. Finally, eVCI-ND patients obtained significantly lower scores compared with neVCI-ND patients on the RME, DOT-A and SDMT-correct executive tests and the ANT, BNT and ST language tests (P < 0.05). Conclusion: aVCI-ND patients performed poorly compared with naVCI-ND patients in terms of executive and language functions, while eVCI-ND patients performed poorly compared with neVCI-ND patients in terms of language function.

KEYWORDS:

• vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia
• amnestic VCI-ND
• executive VCI-ND
• cognitive assessment
• classification methods