Comparing different types of source memory attributes in dementia of Alzheimer's type

Background: Source monitoring (SM) refers to our ability to discriminate between memories from different sources. Methods: Twenty healthy high-cognitive functioning older adults, 20 healthy low-cognitive functioning older adults, and 20 older adults with dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) were asked to perform a series of SM tasks that varied in terms of the to-be-remembered source attribute (perceptual, spatial, temporal, semantic, social, and affective details). Results: Results indicated that older DAT adults had greater difficulty in SM compared to the healthy control groups, especially with spatial and semantic details. Conclusions: Data are discussed in terms of the SM framework and suggest that poor memory for some types of source information may be considered as an important indicator of clinical memory function when assessing for the presence and severity of dementia.