Neuropsychological Performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment with and without Apathy

Objective: To investigate the neuropsychological characteristics of patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with and without apathy. Methods: A cohort of 245 MCI patients (mean age = 72 ± 5.5 years; mean MMSE = 27.5 ± 1.3) was divided into two subgroups according to their Apathy Inventory score and underwent an extensive neuropsychological battery. Results: There were 94 (38.4%) patients with and 151 (61.6%) patients without apathy. At baseline the apathetic subgroup had a significantly lower total score on the free and cued selective reminding test (FCSR). Furthermore, the apathetic subgroup showed a significant deterioration in FCSR total recall score between baseline and the 1-year assessment. In conclusion, the presence of apathy in MCI patients is not associated with frontal task performance but with a higher degree of memory impairment.