[Cognitive markers to discriminate between mild cognitive impairment and normal ageing]. / Discriminación mediante marcadores cognitivos del deterioro cognitivo leve frente a envejecimiento normal.

INTRODUCTION: mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been characterized as a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia. The aim of the present study was to examine differences between normal ageing and MCI in the performance of several cognitive tests. These differences might serve as differential markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: we performed a longitudinal study (24 months) with two evaluations at 12-monthly intervals using the CAMCOG-R and a verbal learning test [test de aprendizaje verbal España-Complutense (TAVEC)]. The sample was composed of 25 persons aged more than 50 years old (five men and 20 women), distributed into two groups: the control group and the MCI group. To assign persons to either of the two groups, Petersen's MCI criteria were applied to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. RESULTS: repeated measures ANOVA (2 groups x 2 assessment) showed significant differences between the MCI and control group in the CAMCOG-R scores in orientation, language, memory, abstract thinking, executive function and global score and in the TAVEC scores for immediate recall and short- and long-term free and clued recall. No significant differences were found between the first and second assessment or in the interaction group assessment. CONCLUSIONS: the results of the present study confirm that the CAMCOG-R and the TAVEC effectively discriminate between normal ageing and MCI and can be used complementarily.

Discriminación mediante marcadores cognitivos del deterioro cognitivo leve frente a envejecimiento normal / The final week of life in an acute care hospital: review of 401 consecutive patients

Introducción: el deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) se ha caracterizado como un estadio de transición entre el envejecimiento normal y la demencia. La presente investigación se propone estudiar las diferencias entre el envejecimiento normal y el DCL en la ejecución de varias pruebas cognitivas que puedan servir como marcadores discriminativos. Material y métodos: presentamos un estudio longitudinal (24 meses), con dos evaluaciones cada 12 meses en las que se aplicaron 2 pruebas, Cambridge Cognitive Assessment-Revised (CAMCOG-R) y test de aprendizaje verbal España-Complutense (TAVEC). La muestra fue de 25 sujetos, mayores de 50 años, 5 varones y 20 mujeres. Se formaron 2 grupos, control y DCL. Para la asignación de cada sujeto a cada grupo se aplicó el criterio de Petersen para el DCL a la puntuación obtenida en el Mini- Mental State Examination (MMSE). Resultados: los ANOVA de medidas repetidas (2 grupo × 2 evaluación) mostraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos DCL y control en las áreas de orientación, lenguaje, memoria, pensamiento abstracto, función ejecutiva y puntuación total en el CAMCOG, y en las variables sobre recuerdo inmediato, recuerdo libre y recuerdo con claves a corto y largo plazo del TAVEC. No aparecieron diferencias significativas entre la primera y la segunda evaluación, ni en la interacción grupo por evaluación. Conclusiones: tanto el CAMCOG-R como el TAVEC se confirman como buenos instrumentos para discriminar entre el envejecimiento normal y el DCL, y pueden utilizarse de forma complementaria

Introduction: mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been characterized as a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia. The aim of the present study was to examine differences between normal ageing and MCI in the performance of several cognitive tests. These differences might serve as differential markers. Material and methods: we performed a longitudinal study (24 months) with two evaluations at 12-monthly intervals using the CAMCOG-R and a verbal learning test [test de aprendizaje verbal España-Complutense (TAVEC)]. The sample was composed of 25 persons aged more than 50 years old (five men and 20 women), distributed into two groups: the control group and the MCI group. To assign persons to either of the two groups, Petersen¿s MCI criteria were applied to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Results: repeated measures ANOVA (2 groups × 2 assessment) showed significant differences between the MCI and control group in the CAMCOG-R scores in orientation, language, memory, abstract thinking, executive function and global score and in the TAVEC scores for immediate recall and short- and longterm free and clued recall. No significant differences were found between the first and second assessment or in the interaction group assessment. Conclusions: the results of the present study confirm that the CAMCOG-R and the TAVEC effectively discriminate between normal ageing and MCI and can be used complementarily