Research about the Relation Between Cognitive Function, Language Skills, and Constructional Functions in Elderly with Cognitive Disorders through CERAD-K

Background/Objectives: This study used the CERAD-K to investigate the relationships among the cognitive, verbal, and constructional functions in elderly patients with cognitive impairments. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The subjects in this study were 155 community-dwelling elderly who were registered at the community clinic in the C region. These subjects consisted of 108 with mild cognitive impairments and 47 with Alzheimer's disease. We used the Korean Version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD-K). The data that were collected in this study were analyzed with SPSS 21.1. Findings: In both elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment and patients with Alzheimer's disease, cognitive function correlated significantly with all verbal and constructional functions, and the verbal and constructional functions decreased as cognitive function decreased. For the elderly patients with mild cognitive impairments, Verbal Fluency (β = 0.218, p = 0.005) and Word List Recognition (β = 0.223, p = 0.011) were the factors with significant influence, and they had a 65.7% explanatory power for cognitive function. In the elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease, Praxis Delayed Recall was a factor with significant influence, and it had a 69.2% explanatory power for cognitive function. Application/Improvements: The cognitive rehabilitation treatment of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairments requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes treating the verbal and constructional functions.