“Build Your Village”—Conducting the Village Test on Cognitively Impaired Patients: A First Journey into Alzheimerland

TL;DR

This study explores how Alzheimer's patients use a symbolic construction task to reveal cognitive and emotional changes.

Contribution

The study introduces the Village Test as a novel tool for assessing cognitive and emotional states in Alzheimer's patients.

Findings

Alzheimer's patients built smaller, simpler villages with limited use of dynamic elements.

Constructions were often centered, reflecting cognitive and emotional isolation.

The Village Test may help detect and understand cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's.

Abstract

Background: This work aimed to study the Village Test (VT) in a group of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and compare the results with those of a group of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls. Methods: A total of 50 patients with AD, 28 patients with MCI, and 38 controls were evaluated. All participants underwent the VT and an extensive neuropsychological evaluation. Results: The mean ages of the participants were 74.4 years for those with AD, 74 for those with MCI, and 70.2 for the controls. The AD group built smaller and essential villages with a scarce use of pieces, a poor use of dynamic pieces, and scarce use of human figures. All constructions were often concentrated in the center of the table. Conclusions: The villages built by the AD group represent a cognitive and affective coarctation and indicate a sense of existential disorientation and isolation. The VT is a useful aid for getting in touch with the inner emotional and existential states of patients with AD, and it could represent a complementary screening tool for orienting cognitive impairment diagnoses.

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