It is recognized that individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) already demonstrate difficulty in aspects of daily functioning, which predicts disease progression. This study examined the relationship between self- versus informant-report of functional ability, and how those reports relate to objective disease measures across the disease spectrum (i.e. cognitively normal, MCI, Alzheimer’s disease). A total of 1,080 subjects with self- and/or informant-rated Everyday Cognition (ECog) questionnaires were included. Objective measures included cognitive functioning, structural brain atrophy, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities, and a marker of amyloid deposition using positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]AV45 (florbetapir). Overall, informant-report was consistently more associated with objective markers of disease than self-report although self-reported functional status may still have some utility in early disease.

Accurate time estimation abilities are assumed to play an important role in efficient performance of many daily activities. The authors investigated the role of episodic memory impairment in temporal perception using a prospective verbal time estimation paradigm. Verbal time estimations were made for filled intervals both within (i.e., <30 s) and beyond the time frame of working memory. In Experiment 1, the verbal time estimates of 24 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were comparable with those of age-matched controls at both short and long (i.e., >30 s) intervals. The verbal time estimates of both older adult groups, however, deviated more significantly from true time when compared with younger adult controls. In Experiment 2, 17 individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) demonstrated greater error and variability in their time estimates, but no disproportionate differences emerged between short- and long-duration estimates when compared with age-matched controls. The findings did not support a noteworthy role for episodic memory impairment in temporal perception but rather elucidated a significant effect of normal aging, as well as a detrimental effect of AD on temporal perception.

The ability to accurately estimate the passage of time plays an important role in helping to structure daily activities. In this study, we used a prospective verbal time estimation paradigm to investigate time perception in 27 moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) participants and 27 controls. Verbal time estimations were made for filled intervals both within (i.e., <30 s) and beyond the time frame of working memory. We found that the TBI participants exhibited normal or near-normal estimates of time passage for duration up to 25 s. In contrast, for durations that exceeded working memory, the TBI group perceived less time as having passed than actually had passed as the TBI group significantly underestimated time when compared to controls. This pattern of data was interpreted as being due to episodic memory dysfunction.

This pilot study examines the efficacy of a group memory notebook intervention. Five individuals with very mild dementia and 4 spouses who served as coaches attended 14 group treatment sessions. Therapists use educational strategies and learning activities packets to teach memory notebook use. At posttreatment, coaches report fewer symptoms of depression, and participants with very mild dementia report greater confidence in ability to obtain support. Modified laboratory memory testing reveals that participants with dementia demonstrate improved posttreatment memory scores because of increased note-taking behavior and more frequent referencing of notes. Although more frequent everyday memory strategies use is reported at posttreatment, this does not translate into reports of fewer everyday memory failures or greater everyday independence for the participants with dementia. This study demonstrates that a multidyad group intervention can successfully be used to teach patients with very mild dementia to use a memory notebook, with beneficial effects for both members of the care dyad.

The ability to correctly estimate time is important for many daily activities, such as cooking and driving. This study investigated the stability time estimation in healthy older adults and compared them to healthy younger adults. Participants were tested and retested across the duration of 1 year. Using a prospective paradigm, verbal estimates were provided for intervals of 10, 25, 45, and 60 seconds. Although the older adults demonstrated a greater magnitude of error in their time estimates than younger adults, their time estimates remained stable across the 1-year duration. This suggests that instability in time estimates across two time points is unlikely to account for the discrepant task findings in the aging and verbal time estimation literature.