Associations between memory strategies performance and CSF biomarkers: A new approach for the early intervention in MCI

Abstract Background Diagnostic research criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) recommend the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a sensible and validated biomarker to improve the accuracy of the prognosis regarding progression to dementia for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Also, it has been established that episodic memory failure is a proxy for AD, while executive functions impairment could be leading to other types of dementia. One of the tests designed to simultaneously evaluate these cognitive functions with high sensitivity and specificity to discriminate between neurocognitive disorders is the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS). The main goals of the present study were 1) to assess the correlations between TMS and CSF markers (i.e., Aβ42, t‐tau, and p‐tau) in a sample of MCI patients, and 2) to provide additional validation for TMS as a clinical tool for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) early detection. Method 135 participants were recruited from a multicenter international study in Poland and Spain, but only 47 were selected (Mean age: 68.58 ± 10.03). The sample was split according to the Erlangen Score Diagnostic Algorithm (ESA) into: CSF ‐ (n = 11) and CSF + (n = 36). Correlations analyses between the five TMS word‐list conditions and CSF biomarkers were conducted, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to define the effect on ESA classification in the sample, using the site of origin of the participants as covariable. Results Significant associations between the TMS‐3 condition and Aβ42, t‐tau, and p‐tau were observed for the whole sample. Also, the CSF‐ obtained a higher cognitive performance in the TMS‐3 than the possible AD group (CSF+). Conclusions Our results revealed that combining CSF biomarker measures and TMS scores could contribute to a better characterization and a more precise approach to AD. Furthermore, considering that the TMS‐3 condition is mostly associated with executive functions, future interventions should focus on this cognitive construct and how it could affect the patient’s ability to encode and organize the information in memory.