Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to impairment in multiple cognitive domains. AD is the most prevalent form of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal state where memory is the only cognitive deficit. Anosognosia is a symptom that is often observed in patients with dementia due to AD. This condition may also be seen in MCI. Anosognosia is an impairment in self-awareness, or more specifically, failure to recognize or appreciate a neurological deficit. While anosognosia is a well-recognized syndrome in the clinical care environment, there is no widely recognized metric that measures its degree. There is ambiguity around what exactly the neurological defect is that the patient fails to appreciate (e.g., executive dysfunction, problems in activities of daily living, personality changes). The present study is a retrospective cross-sectional design that includes a clinical sample of AD and MCI patients. The primary aim is to evaluate the construct validity of three measures that evaluate patient-caregiver discrepancies: Anosognosia Questionnaire Dementia (AQD), Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (LIADLs), and the Conscientiousness personality domain as indexed by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). The secondary aim will determine which test has best predicts caregiver burden.
