치매 심각도에 따른 알츠하이머형 치매의 기억 책략 변화

Changes in Memory Strategies according to the Level of Dementia in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: In recent years, an increasing attention has been paid to the investigation of cognitive impairment in dementia of the Alzheimer s type (DAT). In particular, studies have shown that memory impairment is a useful indicator for diagnosis of DAT. However, little research has been conducted on memory strategies in patients with DAT. Thus, this study was conducted to examine changes in memory strategies according to the severity of dementia in patients with DAT. Methods: The subjects were 20 old adults (OA: 8 males, 12 females), 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (8 males, 12 females), 20 patients with mild DAT (8 males, 12 females), and 14 patients with moderate DAT (6 males, 8 females). All subjects underwent the Seoul Verbal Learning Test (SVLT). Results: Compared to patients with MCI, patients with mild DAT showed lower scores on immediate recall, delayed free recall, and recognition discrimination, but significant difference was not found in the variables evaluating memory strategies between the two groups. A significant difference was not found in any of the variables between the mild and moderate DAT groups. However, between the MCI and moderate DAT groups, differences were found in the 1-3th learning slope and the recall consistency. Conclusion: There was no difference in memory strategies between healthy elders and patients with DAT. It is expected that training memory strategies will be helpful for preventing dementia and alleviating dementia symptoms in healthy elders and patients with early DAT.