Clinical Significance of Topographical Disorientation in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of topographical disorientation (TD) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and compare demographic features, neuropsychological findings between MCI patients who complained of TD and did not.

Methods: We defined MCI according to the revised Petersen’s criteria. Patients with MCI were divided into two groups depending on the presence of TD.

Results: Out of forty-one patients with MCI (age, 69.0±6.8; men:women, 12:29) in this study, seventeen patients (41.5%) admitted that they had TD. Patients with TD showed no difference in age, sex distribution, education, and their neuropsychological findings as compared to those of patients who did not complain of TD. However, instrumental activities of daily living in patients with TD were worse than those in patients without TD (7.3±4.8 vs 4.8±2.5, p<0.05).

Conslusion: This study suggests that patients with MCI who complain of TD may be on the side closer to Alzheimer disease in the cognitive spectrum. A further longitudinal study is needed to validate this speculation. In addition, objective measures to assess the TD are necessary in the dementia clinic.