Relationships between Cognition and Activities of Daily Living in Alzheimer's Disease During a 5-Year Follow-Up: ALSOVA Study.

Abstract

Impaired cognition and activities of daily living (ADL) are core symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their relationship is unclear. To explore relationships between cognitive domains and functional ability during 5-year follow-up in persons with AD. We analyzed ALSOVA study data from 236 individuals with very mild or mild AD at baseline. The CERAD Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB) was used as a cognitive measure and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study ADL (ADCS-ADL) as a functional measure, analyzing the IADL and BADL sub-scores separately. Annual regression models and linear mixed-effect models (LMMs) covering a 5-year follow-up period were used. Annually, the CERAD-NB total and especially Verbal Fluency, Clock Drawing, and Constructional Praxis were associated with the total ADCS-ADL and IADL scores increasingly yet modestly, and to a lesser extent the BADL score. In the LMMs, the same measures and MMSE were associated with ADL. Measures of executive function and visuoconstructive skills appear to be associated with caregiver-interview based ADL measure during the progression of AD.