Neuropsychological latent classes at enrollment and postmortem neuropathology

Introduction: We classified individuals based on their baseline performance on cognitive measures and investigated the association between cognitive classifications and neuropathological findings similar to 7 years later, as an external validator. Methods: Brain autopsies of 779 decedents were examined. Baseline latent class analysis on 10 neuropsychological measures was previously assigned: mixed-domains impairment (n = 39, 5%), memory-specific impairment (n = 210, 27%), frontal impairment (n = 113, 14.5%), average cognition (n = 360, 46.2%), and superior cognition (n = 57, 7.3%). Linear regressions and risks ratios were used to examine the relation of latent class assignment at enrollment with neuropathological indices. Results: Amyloid beta, tau, and transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 were associated with mixed-domains impairment and memory-specific impairment classes similar to 7 years before death. Moderate arteriolosclerosis was associated with membership in the frontal impairment class. Discussion: Our findings support the use of latent class models that incorporate more comprehensive neuropsychological measures to classify cognitive impairment. (C) 2019 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.