Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis
Background. “Posterior shift” of the neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) produces a syndrome (posterior cortical atrophy) (PCA) dominated by high-level visual deficits. Objective. To explore in patients with AD-type pathology whether a data-driven analysis (cluster analysis) b...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2014-01-01
|
| Series: | Behavioural Neurology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/259358 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832567874631237632 |
|---|---|
| author | Antonella Cappa Nicoletta Ciccarelli Eleonora Baldonero Marialuisa Martelli Maria Caterina Silveri |
| author_facet | Antonella Cappa Nicoletta Ciccarelli Eleonora Baldonero Marialuisa Martelli Maria Caterina Silveri |
| author_sort | Antonella Cappa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. “Posterior shift” of the neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) produces a syndrome (posterior cortical atrophy) (PCA) dominated by high-level visual deficits. Objective. To explore in patients with AD-type pathology whether a data-driven analysis (cluster analysis) based on neuropsychological findings resulted in the emergence of different subgroups of patients; in particular to find out whether it was possible to identify patients with visuospatial deficits consistent with the hypothesis that PCA is a “dorsal stream” syndrome or, rather, whether there were subgroups of patients with different types of impairment within the high-level visual domain. Methods. 23 PCA and 16 DAT patients were studied. By a principal component analysis performed on a wide range of neuropsychological tasks, 15 variables were obtained that loaded onto five main factors (memory, language, perceptual, visuospatial, and calculation) which entered a hierarchical cluster analysis. Results. Four clusters of cognitive impairment emerged: visuospatial/perceptual, memory, perceptual/calculation, and language. Only in the first cluster a visuospatial deficit clearly emerged. Conclusions. AD pathology produces not only variants dominated by memory (DAT) and, to a lesser extent, visuospatial deficit (PCA), but also other distinct syndromic subtypes with disorders in visual perception and language which reflect a different vulnerability of specific functional networks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76340d93498f4010b821b86addb70515 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0953-4180 1875-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioural Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-76340d93498f4010b821b86addb705152025-02-03T01:00:14ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85842014-01-01201410.1155/2014/259358259358Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster AnalysisAntonella Cappa0Nicoletta Ciccarelli1Eleonora Baldonero2Marialuisa Martelli3Maria Caterina Silveri4Department of Geriatrics, Centre for the Medicine of the Ageing, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics, Centre for the Medicine of the Ageing, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics, Centre for the Medicine of the Ageing, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics, Centre for the Medicine of the Ageing, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University, Rome, ItalyBackground. “Posterior shift” of the neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) produces a syndrome (posterior cortical atrophy) (PCA) dominated by high-level visual deficits. Objective. To explore in patients with AD-type pathology whether a data-driven analysis (cluster analysis) based on neuropsychological findings resulted in the emergence of different subgroups of patients; in particular to find out whether it was possible to identify patients with visuospatial deficits consistent with the hypothesis that PCA is a “dorsal stream” syndrome or, rather, whether there were subgroups of patients with different types of impairment within the high-level visual domain. Methods. 23 PCA and 16 DAT patients were studied. By a principal component analysis performed on a wide range of neuropsychological tasks, 15 variables were obtained that loaded onto five main factors (memory, language, perceptual, visuospatial, and calculation) which entered a hierarchical cluster analysis. Results. Four clusters of cognitive impairment emerged: visuospatial/perceptual, memory, perceptual/calculation, and language. Only in the first cluster a visuospatial deficit clearly emerged. Conclusions. AD pathology produces not only variants dominated by memory (DAT) and, to a lesser extent, visuospatial deficit (PCA), but also other distinct syndromic subtypes with disorders in visual perception and language which reflect a different vulnerability of specific functional networks.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/259358 |
| spellingShingle | Antonella Cappa Nicoletta Ciccarelli Eleonora Baldonero Marialuisa Martelli Maria Caterina Silveri Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis Behavioural Neurology |
| title | Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis |
| title_full | Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis |
| title_short | Posterior AD-Type Pathology: Cognitive Subtypes Emerging from a Cluster Analysis |
| title_sort | posterior ad type pathology cognitive subtypes emerging from a cluster analysis |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/259358 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT antonellacappa posterioradtypepathologycognitivesubtypesemergingfromaclusteranalysis AT nicolettaciccarelli posterioradtypepathologycognitivesubtypesemergingfromaclusteranalysis AT eleonorabaldonero posterioradtypepathologycognitivesubtypesemergingfromaclusteranalysis AT marialuisamartelli posterioradtypepathologycognitivesubtypesemergingfromaclusteranalysis AT mariacaterinasilveri posterioradtypepathologycognitivesubtypesemergingfromaclusteranalysis |