Episodic memory impairment is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The authors of this study developed a nonverbal navigation test for human subjects to differentially diagnose mild Alzheimer’s Disease from frontotemporal lobe degeneration and normal aging. Comparing navigation test results with standard neuropsychological tests, the authors found that temporal order memory had the highest predictive power for mild Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis versus frontotemporal lobe degeneration and normal aging. Temporal order memory tested in a spatial navigation task may be a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer’s disease.
Bellassen V, Igloi K, Cruz de Sousa L, Dubois B, Rondi-Reig L: Temporal Order Memory Assessed during Spatiotemporal Navigation As a Behavioral Cognitive Marker for Differential Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis. J. Neuroscience 32(6): 1942-1952 (2012).
