Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2012), 18, 295–304. Copyright E INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2012. doi:10.1017/S135561771100172X Clinical Measures of Prospective Memory in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Jacinta Delprado, 1 Glynda Kinsella, 1,2 Ben Ong, 1 Kerryn Pike, 1 David Ames, 3,4 Elsdon Storey, 5 Michael Saling, 4,6 Linda Clare, 7 Elizabeth Mullaly, 2 AND Elizabeth Rand 2 1 School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 2 Caulfield Hospital, Caulfield, Victoria 3 National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 4 University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 5 Department of Neuroscience (Medicine), Alfred Hospital-Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 6 Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 7 School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd (RECEIVED April 21, 2011; FINAL REVISION November 14, 2011; ACCEPTED November 16, 2011) Abstract Recent research has established that individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have impaired prospective memory (PM); however, findings regarding differential deficits on time-based versus event-based PM have been less clear. Furthermore, the diagnostic utility of PM measures has received scant attention. Healthy older adults (n 5 84) and individuals with aMCI (n 5 84) were compared on the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT) and two single-trial event-based PM tasks. The aMCI participants showed global impairment on all PM measures. Measures of retrospective memory and complex attention predicted both time and event PM performance for the aMCI group. Each of the PM measures was useful for discriminating aMCI from healthy older adults and the time- and event-based scales of the CAMPROMPT were equivalent in their discriminative ability. Surprisingly, the brief PM tasks were as good as more comprehensive measures of PM (CAMPROMPT) at predicting aMCI. Results indicate that single-trial PM measures, easily integrated into clinical practice, may be useful screening tools for identifying aMCI. As PM requires retrospective memory skills along with complex attention and executive skills, the interaction between these skills may explain the global PM deficits in aMCI and the good discriminative ability of PM for diagnosing aMCI. (JINS, 2012, 18, 295–304) Keywords: Memory disorder, Neuropsychological tests, Aged, Dementia, Early detection, Diagnosis INTRODUCTION Individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have a high risk of progression to dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (Petersen et al., 2009). Although exact figures vary, an annual conversion rate of 5% to 12%, as compared with 1% to 2% of cognitively healthy older adults, has been reported (Mitchell & Shiri-Feshki, 2009). Although initially con- ceptualized as a purely amnestic disorder, with relative pre- servation of other cognitive domains and intact activities of daily living (Petersen et al., 1999), recent research into aMCI has demonstrated considerably more variation in cognitive impairment (Lonie, Herrmann, Donaghey, & Ebmeier, 2008). Established episodic memory impairment within this population may interact with newly acknowledged, more subtle, deficits in executive attention to impact on an aspect of memory that requires both of these cognitive processes, namely, prospective memory. Prospective memory (PM) refers to remembering to per- form an intended action in the future (Einstein & McDaniel, 1990). PM comprises a retrospective component (remembering what to do) and a prospective component (remembering when to act; Ellis & Kvavilashvili, 2000). Time-based PM tasks are executed at specific times, such as remembering to telephone someone at 4.30 pm, and require self-initiated strategic monitoring of the environment to recognize the appropriate time to act (Einstein & McDaniel, 2005; McDaniel & Einstein, 2000). Event-based tasks are executed in conjunction with another event, such as passing on a message the next time you see a friend, which allows for spontaneous retrieval of the Correspondence and reprint requests to: Glynda Kinsella, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, Australia. E-mail: g.kinsella@latrobe.edu.au 295