Audio-visual speech perception in mild cognitive impairment and healthy elderly controls

An audio-visual (AV) speech presentation mode can significantly improve spoken word identification. Language comprehension and communication in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) can be compromised; however, little is known about the extent to which patients might benefit from an AV mode. Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at risk for developing AD and can demonstrate parallel but milder difficulties in aspects of language function. Here we report on preliminary findings of a study that investigates the impact of AV speech and sentence context on word identification in patients with MCI and healthy elderly controls. Although both groups performed better in the AV condition compared to an auditory-alone condition and when a constraining sentence context was present, the patients performed worse than controls overall and in the condition that should afford the greatest benefit. This suggests that the cognitive deficits present in MCI may limit their ability to benefit fully from supportive perceptual and linguistic cues.