TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatial disorientation in Alzheimer's disease
T2 - The remembrance of things passed
AU - Monacelli, Anthony M.
AU - Cushman, Laura A.
AU - Kavcic, Voyko
AU - Duffy, Charles J.
PY - 2003/12/9
Y1 - 2003/12/9
N2 - Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: Spatial disorientation reflects the impaired linking of landmarks and routes that should be assessed in conjunction with routine memory testing in elderly patients.
AB - Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: Spatial disorientation reflects the impaired linking of landmarks and routes that should be assessed in conjunction with routine memory testing in elderly patients.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0344613056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0344613056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1212/WNL.61.11.1491
DO - 10.1212/WNL.61.11.1491
M3 - Article
C2 - 14663030
AN - SCOPUS:0344613056
SN - 0028-3878
VL - 61
SP - 1491
EP - 1497
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
IS - 11
ER -