Brain structural and cognitive correlates of clock drawing performance in Alzheimer's disease

The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is widely used in the assessment of dementia and is known to be sensitive to the detection of deficits in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). CDT performance is dependent not only on visuospatial and constructional abilities, but also on co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 1999-09, Vol.5 (6), p.502-509
Main Authors: CAHN-WEINER, DEBORAH A., SULLIVAN, EDITH V., SHEAR, PAULA K., FAMA, ROSEMARY, LIM, KELVIN O., YESAVAGE, JEROME A., TINKLENBERG, JARED R., PFEFFERBAUM, ADOLF
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Brain - abnormalities
Clock drawing
Cognition Disorders - complications
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroimaging
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychomotor Disorders - complications
Psychomotor Disorders - diagnosis
Severity of Illness Index
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Summary:The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is widely used in the assessment of dementia and is known to be sensitive to the detection of deficits in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). CDT performance is dependent not only on visuospatial and constructional abilities, but also on conceptual and executive functioning; therefore, it is likely to be mediated by multiple brain regions. The purpose of the present study was to identify component cognitive processes and regional cortical volumes that contribute to CDT performance in AD. In 29 patients with probable AD, CDT performance was significantly related to right-, but not left-hemisphere, regional gray matter volume. Specifically, CDT score correlated significantly with the right anterior and posterior superior temporal lobe volumes. CDT scores showed significant relationships with tests of semantic knowledge, executive function, and visuoconstruction, and receptive language. These results suggest that in AD patients, CDT performance is attributable to impairment in multiple cognitive domains but is related specifically to regional volume loss of right temporal cortex. (JINS, 1999, 5, 502–509.)
ISSN:1355-6177
1469-7661
DOI:10.1017/S1355617799566034