COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN ASYMPTOMATIC FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES OF ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE PATIENTS

The present study was designed to determine whether neuropsychological deficits exist in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The neuropsychological performances of 20 first -degree asymptomatic relatives of NINCDS-ADRDA diagnosed AD patients w ere compared to 20 normal controls without family history of AD. Cogni tive functions assessed included intelligence, memory, overall brain f unction, verbal learning, and language and constructional abilities. S ignificant statistical differences were found between the groups acros s several cognitive areas indicating lower functioning in the first-de gree relatives of AD patients. Fifty percent of the first-degree subje cts but only 20% of controls showed a pattern of significant neuropsyc hological deficit. The results demonstrate neuropsychological deficits in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of AD patients, suggesting tha t preclinical markers for AD may be present long before the clinical m anifestation of the disease.