A - 112 Complex Attention and Frontotemporal Dementia Severity: the Role of Age and Gender in Trails a Performance

Abstract

Abstract Objective To investigate frontotemporal dementia (FTD) impact on attention using Trails A test. Method Participants (N = 3265) from a deidentified FTD database were stratified by Clinical Dementia Rating scores for severity: Normal (n = 1689, Mage = 47.15, Medu = 15.87, 59.8% female), Very Mild (n = 947, Mage = 63.54, Medu = 15.98, 44.7% female), Mild (n = 528, Mage = 64.9, Medu = 16.12, 38.1% female), Moderate–Severe (n = 101, Mage = 66.35, Medu = 16.59, 41.6% female). Stepwise regression analyzed Trails A scores’ predictive power for symptom severity. Results Stepwise regression indicated significant predictive relationship in Trails A and CDR category, accounting for 30.6% of the variance in CDR severity (R2 = 0.306, F(1, 3263) = 1441.094, p < 0.001). Including age as a predictive variable in the second model resulted in increased explained variance to 41.2% (R2 = 0.412, F(2, 3262) = 1142.653, p < 0.001). The inclusion of gender into the model resulted in minimal increase in variance explained to 41.8% (R2 = 0.418, F(3, 3261) = 781.027, p < 0.001). In the final model, the Trails A Z-score had a coefficient of −0.157 (SE = 0.006, p < 0.001), age had a coefficient of 0.020 (SE = 0.001, p < 0.001), and gender had a coefficient of −0.134 (SE = 0.023, p < 0.001). Conclusion Trails A, age, and gender predict FTD severity. Diminished Trails A performance indicates higher dementia severity, with age as a critical factor and gender showing nuanced differences in severity presentation. This supports personalized treatment approaches, emphasizing early cognitive assessments like Trails A for diagnosing and monitoring FTD-related declines in complex attention.