الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Dementia is a term for a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive acquired global impairments of cognitive skills and ability to function independently. Dementia in its many forms is a leading cause of functional limitation among older adults worldwide and will continue to ascend in global health importance as populations continue to age and effective cures remain elusive. Reactions become slower with age, and so constitute a good marker of cognitive aging, Longer and more variable RTs can predict late cognitive decline and cognitive impairment. Simple reaction time alone may be more sensitive to dementia than any of the usual tests in a large neuropsychological test battery MCI may constitute an early stage of Dementia, the demonstration of slight SRT slowing in MCI supports the hypothesis whereby SRT slowing is an early sign of Dementia. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of simple reaction time in detection of cognitive dysfunction. It was a case control study which included 90 elderly who attended our Geriatrics Hospital (outpatient clinics and inpatient department) at Ain Shams University Hospitals. Cognitive assessment was done using the Cambridge Cognitive Examination. The aim of the CAMDEX is not only to detect a problem, but also to identify the cause and rate the severity, the total score is up to 107, with a cut-off of below 79 being typical to diagnose cognitive impairment. All participants were screened for cognitive dysfunction, using Simple Reaction Time. All individuals were subjected to detailed history and physical examination. Comprehensive geriatric assessment was done; including cognitive assessment (CAMCOG), screening for depression (geriatric depression scale; GDS), and functional assessment (activities of daily living; ADL and instrumental activities of daily living; IADL). This study highlights the potential of RT tasks to detect early cognitive changes associated with cognitive dysfunction, help to discriminate MCI from healthy controls. The main finding in this study was a remarkable interaction between diagnosis and partition of the RT test. Assessment of SRTs provides a combined index of sustained alertness, motor speed, and sensory speed. In our study, Age is significantly affecting reaction time, Female gender has more risk for cognitive decline than male, Education decreases normal age-related cognitive decline. Our results indicate that cognitive deterioration produces a general slowing for relatively simple RT tasks. For total RT, patients with mild AD were slower than those with MCI, who were slower than controls. Sensitivity and Specificity of Simple Reaction Time in detection cognitive dysfunction is 100%. |