Type of memory and emotional valence in healthy aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Autobiographical memory (AM) presents components related to the type of memory and may present an associated emotional valence. Comparing healthy older adults, adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and adults with Alzheimer´s disease (AD) gives contradictory results. We examined AM in these groups to analyze differences and provide information that would contribute to the understanding of AM and associated emotional deficits in patients.

METHOD: 31 AD, 32 MCI, and 32 healthy older adults were evaluated using the Autobiographical Memory Test. Taking the number of memories elicited in each category as a dependent variable, an ANOVA of three groups × 3 types of valence was applied (positive, negative, neutral, intrasubject), and another ANOVA of 3 groups × 3 types of memory (specific, general, vague, intrasubject).

RESULTS: specific-type responses are reduced with the progression of the pathology and in addition healthy subjects have a positive valence while AD presents a mainly neutral valence.

CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive problems associated with aging tend to affect the highest level of AM specificity. Healthy subjects and MCI have memories with an emotional valence, whereas the AD group has a significant deterioration in these memories.