Phasic alerting increases visual processing speed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

External warning cues temporarily increase the brain's sensitivity for upcoming events, helping individu-als to flexibly adapt their reactions to the requirements of complex visual environments. Previous studies reported that younger and cognitively normal older adults profit from phasic alerting cues. Such an in-tact phasic alerting mechanism could be even more relevant in individuals with Alzheimer's disease who are characterized by reduced processing capacities. The present study employed a theory of visual at-tention based verbal whole report paradigm with auditory cues in order to investigate phasic alerting effects in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Patients with aMCI were also compared to a previously reported sample of cognitively normal older adults. In patients with aMCI, visual processing speed was higher in the cue compared to the no-cue condition. Further, visual processing speed was reduced in patients with aMCI compared to cognitively normal older adults. Taken together, the results suggest that the processing system of patients with aMCI exhibits general declines but can still integrate auditory warning signals on a perceptual level. (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have higher visual processing speed with warning signals compared to without, but still lower than cognitively normal older adults. This suggests that while the processing system of aMCI patients shows general declines, they can still integrate auditory warning signals on a perceptual level.