The Role of Prospective Memory in Predicting Neuropsychological Functioning in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

Among healthy older adults and those with MCI, objective measurements of prospective memory predict episodic memory outcomes. When participants begin to exhibit cognitive decline, as seen in MCI, informant reports are additionally beneficial and predict executive functioning. This research supports previous findings that prospective memory is multifactorial and involves both memory and executive functioning. Overall, this research also suggests that the assessment of prospective memory has utility for understanding the early decline of cognitive domains traditionally evaluated in MCI.