Liberating older adults from the bonds of vascular risk factors: What is their impact on financial capacity in amnestic mild cognitive impairment?

Abstract

Background There is a pressing need to clarify whether vascular risk factors (VRFs) are related to the heterogeneous cognitive performance found in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and whether the number of VRFs relates to financial capacity impairment in patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI).

Methods A total of 112 participants were divided into three groups: patients with single-domain aMCI, patients with multiple-domain aMCI, and healthy controls (HCs), while taking into consideration whether participants had a diagnosis of one VRF or disease, or more than one VRF or disease. Patients with aMCI with VRFs (one and more than one VRF) and HCs did not differ significantly in age, education, and sex. Mini-Mental State Examination, 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS) were administered to all groups.

Results Diagnosis (P <0.001) and VRFs (P = 0.006) showed significant main effects on LCPLTAS but no interaction (P = 0.654). Patients with aMCI with high vascular burden were more frequently of the multiple-domain subtype, whereas patients with no vascular burden were more frequently of the single-domain subtype. A larger vascular burden is correlated with lower LCPLTAS scores.

Discussion Vascular burden plays an important role in the heterogeneity of aMCI by impairing financial capacity.