RT journal article
T1 Cognitive Mechanisms in Decision-Making in Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease
A1 Alameda-Bailén, José Ramón
A1 Salguero Alcañiz, María Pilar
A1 Merchán Clavellino, Ana
A1 Paíno Quesada, Susana Gaspara
A2 Psicología
K1 Mild alzheimer dementia
K1 decision making
K1 memory loss
K1 prospect valence learning
K1 software carts
K1 somatic marker hypothesis
AB Background: Alzheimer's dementia is characterized by significant cortical and subcortical atrophy, causing diverse neuropsychological deficits. According to the somatic marker hypothesis, the areas responsible for generating the somatic markers that anticipate the consequences of a decision and thereby optimize the process would be affected in these patients.Objective: The aim of this experiment is to study the decision-making processes in Alzheimer type dementia patients to determine potential deficits in these processes as a result of the disease, aside from the cognitive impairment that is typical of aging. In addition, we wish to determine the defining characteristics of decision-making in these patients, on the basis of the prospect valence-learning parameters.Method: We evaluated 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease and a control group of 30 healthy subjects. A short version of the Iowa Gambling Task was used.Results: The results showed that patients made less advantageous choices than did controls. Group differences were quantitative and qualitative, as significant differences in cognitive mechanisms identified in the prospect valence-learning decisions were observed. These results are consistent with evidence from neuroimaging studies as well as with work carried out with amnesic patients.Conclusion: That problems in our patients' decision-making could be due to the characteristic memory deficits of this disease, which prevents them from establishing new stimulus-reward relationships and eliminating previously learned responses as a result of the parietal and temporal atrophy they present.
PB Bentham Science Publishers
SN 1567-2050
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30676
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30676
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 08-nov-2026