Abstract
Various studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with an impairment of inhibitory control, although we do not have a comprehensive understanding of the associated cognitive processes. The ability to engage and disengage attention is a crucial cognitive operation of inhibitory control and can be readily investigated using the “gap effect” in a saccadic eye movement paradigm. In previous work, various demographic factors were confounded; therefore, here, we examine separately the effects of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, ethnicity/culture and age. This study included young (N = 44) and old (N = 96) European participants, AD (N = 32), mildly cognitively impaired participants (MCI: N = 47) and South Asian older adults (N = 94). A clear reduction in the mean reaction times was detected in all the participant groups in the gap condition compared to the overlap condition, confirming the effect. Importantly, this effect was also preserved in participants with MCI and AD. A strong effect of age was also evident, revealing a slowing in the disengagement of attention during the natural process of ageing.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to profound cognitive impairment that includes changes in working memory [1,2]
The models conducted an analysis of the reaction times in the gap and overlap conditions
The “gap effect” value was calculated by subtracting the individuals mean latency in the gap condition from the overlap condition mean latency
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to profound cognitive impairment that includes changes in working memory [1,2]. According to the Posner model, attention must be disengaged from the current visual target, in order to facilitate an attentional shift from the old to the new target; just as in driving a car where you disengage from one gear, before moving the gear stick to a new gear. These distinct operations require multiple brain processes, with each contributing to the cost in terms of the overall processing time [12].
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