Executive Dysfunction in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Objective. Executive functions were assessed in a group of 30 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). The results were analyzed with reference to the severity of the dementia, the patients' age, and the results obtained from healthy controls. Background. Executive functions are higher-order processes responsible for conscious and goal-oriented activity (both cognitive and behavioral). Their dysfunction is often diagnosed in DAT, but there are discrepancies regarding its severity and the symptoms at different stages of the dementia. Method. The main methods used in the study were the ecological Clinical Test of Executive Dysfunction – Revised and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results. The performance of the demented patients was worse than that of the healthy controls in all of the tasks for executive functions. These results strongly correlated with the scores in MMSE but not with age. Conclusions. Executive dysfunction is generally very prominent in DAT, though at the early stage a considerable diversity in its severity can be observed. Deterioration in the patients' mental state and executive deficits follow each other very closely in the course of the illness. Age does not seem to have a significant influence on executive functions either in healthy elderly or in DAT patients.