A - 52 Self-Reports and Informant-Reports of Everyday Functioning as Predictors of Objective Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to investigate self- and informant-reports of everyday functioning and whether they predicted objective cognitive functioning. Participants included 65 persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 18 individuals with dementia, and 58 healthy older controls. Self-reports and informant-reports were taken on the Everyday Cognition Scales (E-Cog), which included seven subscales: everyday language, memory, executive functioning (EF) planning, EF organization, EF divided attention, visual-spatial/perceptual abilities, and attention. Participants also completed a neuropsychological battery, and composite scores were calculated for each cognitive domain. Regression analyses revealed that in healthy older controls, self-reported EF organization significantly predicted objective executive functions. Additionally, informant-reported language significantly predicted objective language. In the MCI group, self- and informant-reports on the E-Cog did not predict objective cognition. For the dementia group, informant-reported EF planning, EF organization, and EF divided attention significantly predicted objective executive functions. Furthermore, informant-reported language significantly predicted objective language. Overall, informant-reports of everyday language predicted objective language in healthy aging and dementia. Self-reports were only predictive of objective cognition in healthy older controls, with self-reported everyday executive functions predicting objective executive functions. Interestingly, in MCI, self- and informant-reports were not predictive of any domain of objective cognitive skill. These results indicate that when the cognitive impairment is more subtle than in dementia, objective neuropsychological assessment will be even more important, as self- and informant-reports are not associated with actual cognitive functioning.