Language Performance of Individuals at Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Purpose Evidence exists that changes in language performance may be an early indicator of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a harbinger of dementing disease. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of language performance in individuals at risk for MCI by virtue of age and self-concern and its relation to performance on tests of memory, visuospatial function, and mental status. Method Eighty-three individuals 55 years or older were administered the Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia ( Bayles & Tomoeda, 1993 ), a standardized battery with normative data from 86 healthy older adults (HOAs) and 86 individuals with Alzheimer's dementia, the most common dementing disease.