Cognitive consequences of high aβ amyloid in mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults: Implications for early detection of alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Background: It has been proposed that only mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with high Aβ amyloid is indicative of incipient Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet MCI with low Aβ amyloid may reflect other neurode-generative processes. We aimed to determine the extent to which high Aβ amyloid influenced cognitive function in healthy older adults and adults with MCI. Method: Healthy controls (HC; n=178) and adults with MCI (n = 56) enrolled in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle study, underwent positron emission tomography neuroimaging for Aβ amyloid and completed an extensive neuropsychological battery, assessing the cognitive domains of verbal and visual episodic memory, executive funct..