Memorability of photographs in subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: Implications for cognitive assessment

• Main Authors: Wilma A. Bainbridge, David Berron, Hartmut Schütze, Arturo Cardenas‐Blanco, Coraline Metzger, Laura Dobisch, Daniel Bittner, Wenzel Glanz, Annika Spottke, Janna Rudolph, Frederic Brosseron, Katharina Buerger, Daniel Janowitz, Klaus Fliessbach, Michael Heneka, Christoph Laske, Martina Buchmann, Oliver Peters, Dominik Diesing, Siyao Li, Josef Priller, Eike Jakob Spruth, Slawek Altenstein, Anja Schneider, Barbara Kofler, Stefan Teipel, Ingo Kilimann, Jens Wiltfang, Claudia Bartels, Steffen Wolfsgruber, Michael Wagner, Frank Jessen, Chris I. Baker, Emrah Düzel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-12-01
• Series: Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease (AD); Subjective cognitive decline (SCD); Mild cognitive impairment (MCI); Memorability; Diagnostic assessment; Image analysis
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadm.2019.07.005

Abstract Introduction Impaired long‐term memory is a defining feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We tested whether this impairment is item specific, limited to some memoranda, whereas some remain consistently memorable. Methods We conducted item‐based analyses of long‐term visual recognition memory. Three hundred ninety‐four participants (healthy controls, subjective cognitive decline [SCD], and MCI) in the multicentric DZNE‐Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) were tested with images from a pool of 835 photographs. Results We observed consistent memorability for images in healthy controls, SCD, and MCI, predictable by a neural network trained on another healthy sample. Looking at memorability differences between groups, we identified images that could successfully categorize group membership with higher success and a substantial image reduction than the original image set. Discussion Individuals with SCD and MCI show consistent memorability for specific items, while other items show significant diagnosticity. Certain stimulus features could optimize diagnostic assessment, while others could support memory.