PATTERNS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT IN DEMENTIA OF THE ALZHEIMER-TYPE AND MULTIINFARCT DEMENTIA

Patterns of performance on 22 neuropsychological tests were examined i n 58 patients with presumed dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and 5 8 patients with presumed multi-infarct dementia (MID). Few differences between patterns of performance in DAT and MID were found when overal l level of performance was taken into account. Within the DAT group, t here were some age-related differences in performance that in themselv es might support other studies suggesting clinical and neuropathologic al differences between subtypes of DAT that are related in part to the age at which the condition occurs. However, similar age-related patte rns were found in the MID group and the DAT and MID groups did not dif fer significantly in this respect. Considerable inter-individual varia bility in pattern of performance was apparent within each group. A pro portion of patients were re-assessed 10 months after initial assessmen t: the extent of decline over time was not predictable from patients' characteristics or test performances at initial assessment. 'De-differ entiation' in patterns of impairment, over time or with increasing sev erity of impairment, was not observed.