Yating Wang, Yuanhong Chen, Haifan Kong, Weineng Chen, Fengjuan Su, Yifan Zheng, Yingying Fang, Lishan Lin, Jiayi Zhou, Yucheng Li, Ya Zhang, Anqi Huang, Michael F Bergeron, James O Clifford Jr, J Wesson Ashford, Xianbo Zhou, Zhongliang Dai, Wenli Sheng, Zhong Pei
Aβ-positive SCD individuals performed normally in quiet but showed higher d-MTxc than Aβ-negative peers (11.17 ± 5.762 vs 6.67 ± 5.096). Higher CRIq-WorkingActivity (CRIW) scores identified Aβ positivity and moderated performance. The combination of d-MTxc and CRIW accurately classified Aβ positivity (AUC = 0.836), whereas MCI individuals exhibited metabolic network fragmentation.
INTRODUCTION: Conventional cognitive instruments exhibit limited efficacy in detecting insidious cognitive decline in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) due to neural compensation. We hypothesized that auditory distraction during a visual memory task would unmask preclinical amyloid beta (Aβ) vulnerability.
METHODS: We evaluated 112 participants (SCD and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) using the MemTrax test under quiet and noisy conditions to quantify distraction costs (d-MTxc). Aβ status and cognitive reserve were assessed via positron emission tomography and the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq).
RESULTS: Aβ-positive SCD individuals performed normally in quiet but showed higher d-MTxc than Aβ-negative peers (11.17 ± 5.762 vs 6.67 ± 5.096). Higher CRIq-WorkingActivity (CRIW) scores identified Aβ positivity and moderated performance. The combination of d-MTxc and CRIW accurately classified Aβ positivity (AUC = 0.836), whereas MCI individuals exhibited metabolic network fragmentation.
DISCUSSION: Auditory distraction taxes cognitive capacity to expose compensatory failures coupled with Aβ burden. This paradigm, interacting with occupational reserve, offers a promising digital biomarker framework for preclinical Alzheimer's screening.