Background: Contribution of visuospatial abilities to the functional status in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been controversial.
Aim: To address whether visuospatial abilities have independent association with functional measures in patients with AD.
Methods: We regressed performances on a global cognitive (the revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale: HDSR), executive/ visuoconstruction (Clock drawing), visuoperception (Clock reading: CRT), simple visuoconstruction (figure copying), and frontal behavioral tasks on measures of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL) in 57 patients (78.0 + 6.1 years) with AD of various severity (mean HDSR score: 16.0 + 5.9). We sought independent contributions of these visuospatial measures to functional status.
Results: Performance on the CRT contributed significantly to BADL and IADL and the results of HDSR contributed to IADL. Results of figure copying related significantly to BADL especially in mild AD.
Conclusion: Visuospatial ability is one of the important contributors to functional status.