Spatial disorientation in Alzheimer's disease: the remembrance of things passed

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many older adults become lost even in familiar surroundings. This is commonly attributed to memory impairment, but it may reflect impaired spatial cognition. The authors examined the role of memory, perceptual, and cognitive mechanisms in spatial disor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNeurology Vol. 61; no. 11; p. 1491
Main Authors Monacelli, Anthony M, Cushman, Laura A, Kavcic, Voyko, Duffy, Charles J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 09.12.2003
Subjects
Adult
Aged
Aging
Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis
Cognition
Humans
Memory
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Reproducibility of Results
Space Perception
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many older adults become lost even in familiar surroundings. This is commonly attributed to memory impairment, but it may reflect impaired spatial cognition. The authors examined the role of memory, perceptual, and cognitive mechanisms in spatial disorientation by comparing the performance of normal young (YN), middle-aged (MA), older adult (OA), and AD subjects on neuropsychological and spatial orientation tests. The tendency to become lost is shared by almost all patients with AD (93%) and some OA subjects (38%). This impairment is not related to memory impairment. Instead, it reflects an inability to link recognized scenes with locations in the environment. Spatial disorientation reflects the impaired linking of landmarks and routes that should be assessed in conjunction with routine memory testing in elderly patients.
ISSN:1526-632X
DOI:10.1212/WNL.61.11.1491