It was proposed that a reorganization of the relationships between cognitive functions occurs in dementia, a vision that surpasses the idea of a mere decline of specific domains. The complexity of cognitive structure, as assessed by neuropsychological tests, can be captured by exploratory graph analysis (EGA). EGA was applied to the neuropsychological assessment of people (humans) with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD; total N = 638). Both sexes were included. In AD, memory scores detach from the other cognitive functions, and memory subdomains reduce their reciprocal relation. SCD showed a pattern of segregated neuropsychological domains, and MCI showed a noisy and less stable pattern. Results suggest that AD drives a reorganization of cognitive functions toward a less-fractionated architecture compared with preclinical conditions. Cognitive functions show a reorganization that goes beyond the performance decline. Results also have clinical implications in test interpretations and usage.

有人提出，痴呆症中会发生认知功能之间关系的重组，这一愿景超越了单纯特定领域衰退的想法。通过神经心理学测试评估的认知结构的复杂性可以通过探索性图分析（EGA）来捕获。 EGA应用于对主观认知衰退（SCD）、轻度认知障碍（MCI）和阿尔茨海默病（AD；总N = 638）的人（人类）进行神经心理学评估。男女都包括在内。在 AD 中，记忆分数与其他认知功能分离，并且记忆子域减少了它们的相互关系。 SCD 显示出分离的神经心理学领域的模式，而 MCI 显示出嘈杂且不太稳定的模式。结果表明，与临床前条件相比，AD 推动了认知功能的重组，朝着更分散的架构发展。认知功能显示出超越表现下降的重组。结果对于测试解释和使用也具有临床意义。