Neurocognitive profile of patients with Alzheimer's disease: A study in the Moroccan context

Abstract

<ns3:p>This study aims to analyze the neurocognitive profile of patients with Alzheimer's disease within the Moroccan context. By examining cognitive performance across domains, identifying sex-based differences, and exploring correlations among cognitive measures, it seeks to enhance understanding of Alzheimer's disease characteristics and inform culturally and demographically relevant approaches to diagnosis and care.The sample included 30 participants (22 females and 8 males), aged 51 to 81 years (mean age: 72.1, median age: 74, SD: 8.23). Neurocognitive tests were used to assess cognitive functions: MMSE-MA, Rey Figure, and Raven's Matrices. The Cronbach's index (0.748) indicated acceptable internal consistency.Half of the participants exhibited slight cognitive impairments, 27% moderate, 3% severe, and 20% no detectable impairment. Correlations included: orientation with learning (r = 0.393, p = 0.035), attention/calculation (r = 0.648, p &lt; 0.001), and recall (r = 0.606, p &lt; 0.001). Age negatively correlated with MMSE scores (r = -0.451, p = 0.012). Other strong positive correlations were found among MMSE, Rey Figure, and Raven's Matrices scores. Men performed better on average than women, with significant differences in MMSE scores (t = -2.52, p &lt; 0.001).</ns3:p>