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Mild cognitive impairment (MCI ) describes the transitional state between normal aging and dementia for many individuals , although debate continues over whether MCI represents an initial , separate condition , or if it is , in fact , the earliest presentation of dementia . One criterion for the diagnosis of MCI is an absence of impairment in activities of daily living ; however , there is growing evidence that many individuals with MCI have difficulties with some instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs ) , such as managing finances and medications . The current study examined the performance of individuals diagnosed with MCI and normal control subjects (NC ) on a brief , quantifiable measure of IADLs , the Texas Functional Living Scale (TFLS ) . Additional goals of this study were to examine how the TFLS relates to standard neuropsychological measures of global cognitive function , memory , language , executive functioning , and attention , and to determine whether performance on the TFLS declines over time in MCI . As predicted , the MCI sample (n = 30 ) scored significantly lower than the NC group (n = 30 ) on the TFLS total score (t (58 ) = 2 .34 , p = .011 ) and on the TFLS Memory subscale (t (58 ) = 3 .29 , p = .002 ) . Performance on the TFLS was significantly correlated with performance on the MMSE (ρ = .26 ) and The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery (CERAD ; r = .37 ) . Scores on the TFLS Memory and Communication subscales were also correlated with the CERAD total score (r = .45 and .22 , respectively ) . Across all subjects , the TFLS was associated with standard measures of memory and language (ρ's = .22 to .31 ) . Although the difference did not reach statistical significance , subgroups of MCI and NC were followed over time , and 50 % of individuals with MCI declined on the TFLS , compared with 29 % of NC sample . These findings suggest that subtle changes in cognitive -related IADLs may be present in individuals with MCI , and that the TFLS is sensitive to such changes . |
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