EPISODIC MEMORY DEFICITS: COMPARISON BETWEEN PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA OF ALZHEIMERS TYPE, MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT & HEALTHY ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS.

Abstract

Episodic memory refers to the ability for recollecting an autobiographical memory of events that has occurred at a particular time and place. However, there is a dearth of episodic memory studies in Persons with Dementia of Alzheimer?s type (DAT), Mild-Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Healthy controls (HC). The aim of the present study was to compare episodic memory deficits across all the three groups. A total of sixty participants were recruited for the present study. These participants were categorized under three subgroups, twenty HC, twenty persons with MCI and twenty persons with Mild DAT. The participant groups were again sub divided into three age-groups [(>60-65yrs, >65-70 yrs & >70-75 yrs)]. Episodic memory tasks were evaluated by using Orientation and recent memory test from the memory domain of Cognitive-Linguistic Assessment Protocol (CLAP, Kamath, 2001) to the participants. The results of the study revealed that persons with DAT exhibited more episodic memory deficits compared to MCI and HC suggesting cognitive impairments and word retrieval deficits. The present study throws light on cognitive markers which can help in the differential diagnosis among the three groups. Further research with more number of samples is warranted.