Temporal Order Memory Assessed during Spatiotemporal Navigation As a Behavioral Cognitive Marker for Differential Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis

Abstract

Episodic memory impairment is a hallmark for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Most actual tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease do not assess the spatiotemporal properties of episodic memory and lead to false-positive or -negative diagnosis. We used a newly developed, nonverbal navigation test for Human, based on the objective experimental testing of a spatiotemporal experience, to differentially Alzheimer's disease at the mild stage (N ϭ 16 patients) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (N ϭ 11 patients) and normal aging (N ϭ 24 subjects). Comparing navigation parameters and standard neuropsychological tests, temporal order memory appeared to have the highest predictive power for mild Alzheimer's disease diagnosis versus frontotemporal lobar degeneration and normal aging. This test was also nonredundant with classical neuropsychological tests. As a conclusion, our results suggest that temporal order memory tested in a spatial navigation task may provide a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer's disease.

The effect of interference on temporal order memory for random and fixed sequences in nondemented older adults

“…Behavioral interventions that minimize temporal interference and structure daily living tasks into repetitive, fixed sequences may improve memory and perhaps could increase functional independence in older adults. In addition, a recent study reports that impaired temporal order memory may be a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer's disease (Bellassen et al 2012). Therefore, …”

The effect of interference on temporal order memory in individuals with Parkinson’s disease

“…In addition, temporal order memory tests may be useful in other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. For example, recent studies have found that temporal order memory is impaired in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (Gillis et al, 2013) and these impairments might be a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD; Bellassen et al, 2012). Although future studies are needed to examine the incremental and ecological validity of temporal order memory tasks relative to standard neuropsychological tests, the findings of the current and recent studies suggest that cognitive evaluations in older adults with PD and suspected AD may be improved by the addition of temporal order memory measures, particularly tasks that manipulate the level of temporal interference.…”

Age effect in generating mental images of buildings but not common objects

“…Topographical orientation is one of the abilities mostly affected in normal and pathological aging. Indeed, during normal aging there is a clear trend toward impairment of temporal memory, evaluated overall by sequential navigation information and route tracing [34]. Therefore, it is note worthy that in normal aging a differentiation emerges in the ability to generate a building versus the ability to generate a common object.…”