Equivalência de estímulos e desempenho cognitivo em idosos com e sem Doença de Alzheimer

Abstract

The prevalence of neurocognitive disorders is increasing in Brazil, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) being the most common cause. This situation demands new technologies for the evaluation of cognitive repertoires. The paradigm of the equivalence of stimuli has contributed to the understanding of variables associated with these repertories. However, its relation to cognitive alterations in the elderly remains unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the cognitive performance of the elderly with and without AD with performance in a task of equivalence classes formation, as well as to analyze differences in these performances between groups. Two groups were defined: (I) Group without AD, with 30 elderly and (II) Group DA, with 15 elderly, selected in Health Units. The Addenbrooke Cognitive Exam was applied to evaluate the cognitive performance of the elderly. Participants performed a computerized task to establish three equivalence classes. Each class consisted of a familiar picture, one geometric and one abstract. Statistical analyzes revealed that the performance of the non-AD group was significantly better than the AD group in all blocks of the task. There was a direct correlation between performance on conditional discrimination and cognitive evaluation only in the group without AD. One-third of the sample of the non-AD group formed the equivalence classes, against none of the AD group. The other participants failed to demonstrate learning of baseline relationships or the emergence of transitivity. The findings of this study reinforced those of the literature, in which the relation between performance in neurocognitive tests and in the tasks of equivalence classes formation was observed. The influence of schooling needs to be better studied.