Comparing Demographic Effects on Current and Novel Neuropsychological Measures in Older Adults with and without Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: This study compared the effects of sex and education on existing neuropsychological assessments used in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias, as well as a novel performance-based test of cognition and daily functioning.

Methods: One hundred seventy-one participants (46 AD, 53 amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and 72 cognitively unimpaired) completed a neuropsychological test battery and a novel performance-based test involving moving objects in a sequence with the nondominant hand. The effects of sex and education on all tests were evaluated using multivariable regression, controlling for age and group (defined based on cognitive and functional abilities according to the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative criteria).

Results: All tests, except for the novel performance-based test and Trail Making Test, were significantly affected by sex and/or education.

Conclusions: The novel performance-based test may be less affected by demographic variables compared to traditional neuropsychological assessments used in AD and related dementias, rendering it more broadly applicable than other measures.