Background: The influence of cognitive factors on financial capacity across the dementia spectrum of cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been little investigated, while it has not been investigated at all in other types of dementia as well as in extended samples of elders in Greece. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate financial capacity, to develop a tool, test its psychometric properties, validate, and then test the tool in groups of healthy controls compared to elders with dementia, while examining other facets of their cognitive performance. Methods: 719 elders from Greece including healthy participants and patients with different types of dementia were examined with Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS) and a battery of neuropsychological tests concerning various cognitive functions. Results: Significantly different profiles in the scores and subscores of LCPLTAS for all the groups of dementia patients were found, with a general incapacity finding for all the dementia groups including the MCI patients. Logistic regression showed that Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale, and Trail Making Part B predicted competence on LCPLTAS for the dementia patients. Persons with MCI and dementia had lower financial knowledge scores than those without cognitive impairment, with MMSE scores below 27 suggestive as an indication of financial incapacity. Conclusion: The LCPLTAS provides information for a strong positive correlation with MMSE, while the use both of MMSE and LCPLTAS as adequate measures of financial (in)capacity is discussed for the Greek legal procedures regarding elder guardianship cases.

Spatial orientation and navigation are complex cognitive functions that integrate sensory information, attention, and memory, enabling individuals to locate themselves in their environment. These abilities decline with age, signaling cognitive impairment in neurological patients, and significantly limit the autonomy of the elderly. Current neuropsychological assessments fall short in accurately measuring everyday wayfinding abilities, particularly in borderline cases of cognitive decline. This paper reviews various neuropsychological assessments, including Benton’s Judgment of Line Orientation Test, the Almeria Spatial Memory Recognition Test, the Spatial Span subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Spatial Orientation in Immersive Virtual Environment Maze Test, evaluating their effectiveness in delineating spatial orientation and navigation skills. The review identifies significant gaps in the validity and reliability of these tests, particularly in their shortened versions, and highlights the potential of virtual reality environments as promising tools for improving diagnostic precision. The findings underscore the need for further research to refine these tools, ensuring they accurately capture cognitive decline and improve the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Such advancements hold promise for enhancing the quality of care and autonomy for the elderly.

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) among other cognitive deficits also includes impairments in financial capacity, but so far the role of depression in time has not been examined. We aimed t...

We still know little about financial capacity, which consists of multiple cognitive domains as well as specific skills, and the influence of depression in patients with vascular dementia (VaD). Participants were divided into 4 groups: (1) VaD with and (2) without depressive symptoms, (3) nondemented elders with and (4) without depression. The participants were examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS). The findings extend earlier work in other groups of older patients and indicate that VaD patients’ performance in cognitive functioning and financial capacity is severely impaired, while there is a statistically significant difference between depressed and nondepressed VaD patients. Thus, depression negatively influences financial capacity. Depression and mood disorders should be considered in future capacity research with older adults and with larger VaD populations.

Background: People with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) face many daily challenges as memory loss is their predominant cognitive impairment. Objectives: This study examined whether financial capacity can be influenced by comorbid depression in patients with multiple-domain aMCI. Materials and Methods: The participants included 120 patients in 4 groups: multiple-domain aMCI with and without depressive symptoms, and nondemented elders with and without depression. Participants were examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale. Results: The findings extend earlier work in other groups of older patients and indicate that the performance of patients with multiple-domain aMCI in cognitive functioning and financial capacity is severely impaired when depression coexists, resembling the performance of patients with mild Alzheimer disease. Conclusions: The results support special care for individuals with depression as this condition severely influences financial capacity in aMCI.

(1) Background: Depression and apathy both affect cognitive abilities, such as thinking, concentration and making decisions in young and old individuals. Although apathy is claimed to be a “core” feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), it may occur in the absence of depression and vice versa. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore whether depression or apathy better predict financial capacity performance in PD and FTD as well as in nondemented participants. (2) Methods: Eighty-eight participants divided into three groups (PD, FTD and non-demented participants) were examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS)—Full and short form. The Geriatric Depression Scale informant version (GDS-15) and the Irritability-Apathy Scale (IAS) we completed by caregivers. (3) Results: The results indicated that both PD and FTD patients’ general cognitive functioning and financial capacity performance is negatively influenced by apathy and not by depression. (4) Conclusions: Differences in financial capacity performance indicate that apathy should not be disregarded in clinical assessments. Further studies on larger PD and FTD populations are necessary in order to investigate the decisive role of mood factors on financial capacity impairment.