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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Mar;31(2):123-47.
doi: 10.1093/arclin/acv089. Epub 2016 Jan 6.

Examination of Variables That May Affect the Relationship Between Cognition and Functional Status in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis

Courtney Mcalister  1 , Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe  2 , Richard Lamb  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Examination of Variables That May Affect the Relationship Between Cognition and Functional Status in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis

Courtney Mcalister et al. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

The objective of this meta-analysis was to improve understanding of the heterogeneity in the relationship between cognition and functional status in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Demographic, clinical, and methodological moderators were examined. Cognition explained an average of 23% of the variance in functional outcomes. Executive function measures explained the largest amount of variance (37%), whereas global cognitive status and processing speed measures explained the least (20%). Short- and long-delayed memory measures accounted for more variance (35% and 31%) than immediate memory measures (18%), and the relationship between cognition and functional outcomes was stronger when assessed with informant-report (28%) compared with self-report (21%). Demographics, sample characteristics, and type of everyday functioning measures (i.e., questionnaire, performance-based) explained relatively little variance compared with cognition. Executive functioning, particularly measured by Trails B, was a strong predictor of everyday functioning in individuals with MCI. A large proportion of variance remained unexplained by cognition.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Executive function; Memory; Meta-Analysis.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Flow of studies included in the meta-analysis.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Histogram of variance in functional measures accounted for by all cognitive measures.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Funnel plot, using data from 132 study samples, each point is two studies, with log-odds ratios displayed on the horizontal axis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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