Financial capacity in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is correlated with tau burden in Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) 3

Background and aims: Financial capacity is an
instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) which is
fundamental for independent functioning, and shows an
early decline in dementia due to AD. In MCI, clinically
assessed financial functioning is essentially preserved.
However, a quantitative measure of financial capacity may
facilitate the detection of subtle impairments in the early
stages of cognitive decline, and their relation to disease
pathology.
Methods: ADNI3 data from baseline visits were retrieved
for 109 participants with MCI who underwent
18F-flortaucipir tau PET. Evaluation included the Financial
Capacity Instrument-Short Form (FCI-SF), a validated
performance-based measure for the assessment of financial
capacity. Tau PET data were analysed at UC Berkeley and
included Standard Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs) for
composite regions that approximate the spread of tau
according to Braak stages I/II, III/IV and V/VI.
Results: A regression analysis that controlled for age and
education showed that SUVRs at regions of Braak I/II (R2
change=0.068, p=0.003), III/IV (R2 change=0.084,
p=0.001) and V/VI (R2 change=0.039, p=0.026) accounted
for a significant share of the variance in FCI-SF.
Conclusion: Tau burden at critical areas associated with AD
pathology significantly predicted FCI-SF scores. The results
show that individuals with MCI who report intact IADL are
nevertheless impaired at financial functioning, and that this
impairment is related to AD pathology.
Disclosure: Data collection and sharing for this project was
funded by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
(ADNI) (National Institutes of Health Grant U01
AG024904) and DOD ADNI (Department of Defense award
number W81XWH-12-2-0012). For additional funding
sources of ADNI see: https://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/
uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_DSP_Policy.pdf