Test-retest reliability of spatial navigation in adults at-risk of Alzheimer’s disease

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239077
• Publication Date: 2020-09-22T22:49:41Z
• Authors: Gillian Coughlan; Vaisakh Puthusser...; Ellen Lowry; Rachel Gillings; Hugo Spiers; Anne-Marie Minihane; Michael Hornberger
• Keywords: Male; Heredity; Science; Memory, Episodic; Neuropsychological Tests; 03 medical and health sciences; Spatial memory; Cognition; Sex Factors; 0302 clinical medicine; Memory; Neuropsychology; Alzheimer Disease; Risk Factors; Genetics; Humans; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Aged; Q; Neuropsychological testing; R; Alzheimer's disease; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Cognitive impairment; Medicine; Female; Research Article; Spatial Navigation

The Virtual Supermarket Task (VST) and Sea Hero Quest detect high-genetic-risk Alzheimer`s disease (AD). We aimed to determine their test-retest reliability in a preclinical AD population. Over two time points, separated by an 18-month period, 59 cognitively healthy individuals underwent neuropsychological spatial navigation assessment. At baseline, participants were classified as low-genetic-risk of or AD. calculated two-way mixed effects intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for task parameters used repeated measures ANOVAS whether genetic risk sex contributed variability. egocentric parameter the VST measure showed highest (ICC = .72), followed SHQ distance travelled .50). Post hoc longitudinal analysis that boundary-based predicts worsening episodic memory concerns high-risk (F 5.01, P 0.03), but not low-risk, candidates. produced with acceptable reliability. Further research larger sample sizes is desirable.