Myriam V Thoma1,2, Andreas Maercker1,2, Simon Forstmeier1,3. 1. Department of Psychopathology and Clinical Intervention. 2. University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Switzerland. 3. Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Siegen, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether delay discounting (DD) develops differently within individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHOD: We set out to study trajectories of DD in N = 111 older adults (Mage = 75.2 years, range: 55-94, 53% female) with MCI (n = 64) or mild AD (n = 47). Data were repeatedly assessed on three measurement times over a period of 2 years. RESULTS: Results indicated a meaningful difference in the trajectories of DD between MCI and mild AD (t = 2.99, p = .004), with AD patients displaying higher DD rates compared with MCI. Lower intelligence (t = -2.50, p = .013) was related to higher DD. We also found reward-dependent group differences in DD (small: p = .079; medium: p = .258; large: p = .007). Age, functional ability, general cognitive ability, living situation, and marital status were not meaningfully linked to DD (all non significant). Further explorative analyses revealed an increase in DD in patients whose cognitive symptoms had progressed at time 2, compared with more stable courses of mild AD or MCI (diagnosed at time 2). DISCUSSION: Our results point toward an increase in DD as a function of advanced cognitive decline.
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether delay discounting (DD) develops differently within individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHOD: We set out to study trajectories of DD in N = 111 older adults (Mage = 75.2 years, range: 55-94, 53% female) with MCI (n = 64) or mild AD (n = 47). Data were repeatedly assessed on three measurement times over a period of 2 years. RESULTS: Results indicated a meaningful difference in the trajectories of DD between MCI and mild AD (t = 2.99, p = .004), with AD patients displaying higher DD rates compared with MCI. Lower intelligence (t = -2.50, p = .013) was related to higher DD. We also found reward-dependent group differences in DD (small: p = .079; medium: p = .258; large: p = .007). Age, functional ability, general cognitive ability, living situation, and marital status were not meaningfully linked to DD (all non significant). Further explorative analyses revealed an increase in DD in patients whose cognitive symptoms had progressed at time 2, compared with more stable courses of mild AD or MCI (diagnosed at time 2). DISCUSSION: Our results point toward an increase in DD as a function of advanced cognitive decline.
Authors: Myriam V Thoma; Simon Forstmeier; Roger Schmid; Oliver Kellner; Franziskos Xepapadakos; Ursula Schreiter Gasser; Andreas Blessing; Axel Ropohl; Gabriela Bieri-Brüning; Dries Debeer; Andreas Maercker Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2018-08-13 Impact factor: 3.921