Subtle executive deficits are associated with higher brain amyloid burden and lower cortical volume in subjective cognitive decline: the FACEHBI cohort.

To determine whether lower performance on executive function tests in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) individuals are associated with higher levels of brain amyloid beta (Aß) deposition and regional volumetric reduction in areas of interest for Alzheimer's disease (AD). 195 individuals with SCD from the FACEHBI study were assessed with a neuropsychological battery that included the following nine executive function tests: Trail Making Test A and B (TMTA, TMTB), the Rule Shift Cards subtest of BADS, the Automatic Inhibition subtest of the Syndrom Kurz Test (AI-SKT), Digit Span Backwards and Similarities from WAIS-III, and the letter, semantic, and verb fluency tests. All subjects underwent an 18F-Florbetaben positron emission tomography (FBB-PET) scan to measure global standard uptake value ratio (SUVR), and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A multiple regression analysis, adjusted for age, was carried out to explore the association between global SUVR and performance on executive tests. Then, on those tests significantly associated with amyloid burden, a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was carried out to explore their correlates with grey matter volume. Multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between Aß deposition and performance on one of the executive tests (the AI-SKT). Moreover, VBM analysis showed worse AI-SKT scores were related to lower volume in bilateral hippocampus and left inferior frontal regions. In conclusion, in SCD individuals, worse automatic inhibition ability has been found related to higher cerebral Aß deposition and lower volume in the hippocampus and frontal regions. Thus, our results may contribute to the early detection of AD in individuals with SCD.

Item analysis of three Spanish naming tests: a cross-cultural investigation.

Neuropsychological evaluations conducted in the United States and abroad commonly include the use of tests translated from English to Spanish. The use of translated naming tests for evaluating predominately Spanish-speakers has recently been challenged on the grounds that translating test items may compromise a test's construct validity. The Texas Spanish Naming Test (TNT) has been developed in Spanish specifically for use with Spanish-speakers; however, it is unlikely patients from diverse Spanish-speaking geographical regions will perform uniformly on a naming test. The present study evaluated and compared the internal consistency and patterns of item-difficulty and -discrimination for the TNT and two commonly used translated naming tests in three countries (i.e., United States, Colombia, Spain). Two hundred fifty two subjects (136 demented, 116 nondemented) across three countries were administered the TNT, Modified Boston Naming Test-Spanish, and the naming subtest from the CERAD. The TNT demonstrated superior internal consistency to its counterparts, a superior item difficulty pattern than the CERAD naming test, and a superior item discrimination pattern than the MBNT-S across countries. Overall, all three Spanish naming tests differentiated nondemented and moderately demented individuals, but the results suggest the items of the TNT are most appropriate to use with Spanish-speakers. Preliminary normative data for the three tests examined in each country are provided.