Mind-wandering in healthy aging and early stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Abstract

The decreased self-reported MW in older adults and the further decline in AD are consistent with the cognitive resource account of MW. Behavioral indices suggest that AD is on a continuum with healthy aging, with the exception of posterror slowing that may suggest performance monitoring deficits in early AD individuals (e.g., lack of error awareness). (PsycINFO Database Record

Off‐track thoughts: Intentional and unintentional mind wandering in Alzheimer's disease

“…retaining a stimuli, pressing the key) and, therefore, it might trigger less mind wandering than our scale in which patients had to reflect on their daily experiences. This said, the present findings and those of Gyurkovics et al show how mind wandering in AD can vary according to the assessment . In our view, AD patients might show increased mind wandering in everyday life and decreased mind wandering on tasks requiring sustained attention.…”

“…Thus, AD patients seem to show a tendency to shift from external stimuli to task‐unrelated thoughts and concerns. The present findings can be compared with a recent study by Gyurkovics et al , who found that the frequency of mind‐wandering decreased as a function of age; the authors also observed a further decrease of mind wandering in AD patients . These conflicting findings of Gyurkovics et al and those observed in the present study can be reconciled by emphasizing a crucial difference between our procedures and those used by Gyurkovics et al In the present study, participants’ mind wandering was assessed using a scale describing everyday life situations, whereas Gyurkovics et al used a laboratory task assessing mind wandering in the “here and now” (i.e.…”

“…Using this task, Gyurkovics, Balota found that the frequency of mind wandering decreased as a function of age; the authors also observed a further decrease of mind wandering in AD patients . Although the studies of O'Callaghan et al and Gyurkovics et al have the merit to be the first published studies on mind wandering in AD; these studies did not dissociate between intentional and unintentional mind wandering. Furthermore, these studies did not assess affective or working memory correlates of mind wandering in the disease.…”

“…According to the authors, these findings support the engagement of the default network and frontoparietal network in mind wandering, and more specifically in autobiographical planning and mental simulation as engaged during mind wandering. Also, Gyurkovics et al assessed mind wandering in patients with very mild AD, as well as in a healthy middle‐aged group and a healthy older adult group . In their study, Gyurkovics et al assessed mind wandering with the Sustained Attention to Response Task on which participants are typically asked to press a key in response to frequently presented non‐target stimuli, and to withhold the response to very infrequent target stimuli .…”

“…Also, Gyurkovics et al assessed mind wandering in patients with very mild AD, as well as in a healthy middle‐aged group and a healthy older adult group . In their study, Gyurkovics et al assessed mind wandering with the Sustained Attention to Response Task on which participants are typically asked to press a key in response to frequently presented non‐target stimuli, and to withhold the response to very infrequent target stimuli . Participants are also asked to report any mind wandering experience during the task.…”