Retention and impairment of neurocognitive functions in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease with a comprehensive neuropsychological test

Aim MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery was developed by the National Institute of Mental Health to establish acceptance criteria for measuring cognitive changes in schizophrenia and can be used to assess cognitive functions in other psychiatric disorders. We used a Japanese version of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery to explore the changes in multiple cognitive functions in patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Methods We administered the Japanese version of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery to 11 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease, and 27 healthy controls. All Japanese versions of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery domain scores were converted to t-scores using sample means and standard deviations and were compared for significant performance differences among healthy control, MCI, and mild Alzheimer's disease groups. Results Compared with healthy controls, patients with MCI and mild Alzheimer's disease demonstrated the same degree of impairment to processing speed, verbal learning, and visual learning. Reasoning and problem-solving showed significant impairments only in mild Alzheimer's disease. Verbal and visual abilities in working memory showed different performances in the MCI and mild Alzheimer's disease groups, with the Alzheimer's disease group demonstrating significantly more deficits in these domains. No significant difference was found among the groups in attention/vigilance and social cognition. Conclusions The Japanese version of MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery can be used to elucidate the characteristics of cognitive dysfunction of normal aging, MCI, and mild dementia in clinical practice.