Neuropsychological impairments in elderly Neurofibromatosis type 1 patients

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2014.02.004
• Publication Date: 2014-02-18T03:00:23Z
• Authors: Danielle de Souza...; Jonas Jardim de P...; Nilton Alves de R...; Luiz Oswaldo Carn...; Leandro Fernandes...; Marco Aurélio Rom...; Débora Marques de...
• Keywords: Male; Neurofibromatosis 1; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Executive Function; 03 medical and health sciences; Memory, Short-Term; 0302 clinical medicine; Case-Control Studies; Humans; Female; Aged

Cognitive performance is compromised in Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients, but neuropsychological data including elderly NF1 are extremely sparse. We compared the cognitive performance of a small elderly NF1 group (n = 5) with an age-matched healthy control group (n = 49). NF1 group performed worse than control group on a global cognitive impairment task, verbal working memory, and visuospatial functioning. The results suggest that cognitive impairment is an important feature of NF1 across lifespan, including elderly individuals. Future studies approaching the NF1 cognitive profile might benefit from looking at the mechanisms linked to the age-related aspects of cognitive decline.