A – 129 The Roles of Memory and Executive Functions in Prospective Memory in Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract Objective Prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember to execute an action in the future, is impacted in Alzheimer's disease (AD). "Simple" PM is the ability to respond to a cue using a single action, and "complex" PM requires selecting among actions to respond to a cue. This study examined the contributions of memory and executive functioning in healthy older controls (HC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method Participants included 58 HC and 52 individuals with MCI. In the PM task, participants were instructed to ask for a pill after each neuropsychological test was completed. They were to ask for one pill after a memory task and two pills after a non-memory task. “Simple” PM was measured as the total number of pill requests, while "complex" PM was the correct number of pills requested. A “Memory” composite was derived from delayed free recall scores on CVLT-II and BVMT-R, while an “Executive Functions” composite was calculated from TMT-B and ACT scores. Results In HC, multiple regression analyses showed that memory and executive functions predicted only complex PM, with memory being a unique predictor. In MCI, memory and executive abilities predicted only simple PM, with executive functioning being a unique predictor. Conclusion Findings indicate that both memory and executive functioning play a role in PM. In healthy aging, retrospective memory has a greater impact on PM abilities, but when people begin to exhibit cognitive deficits, executive functions play a more important role in PM.