Cognitive-Communicative Differences Between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Aging: A Comparative Study Using the SCCAN
Open AccessAuthors
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Kostadin Chompalov
Medical University of Plovdiv
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4636-1384
Keywords:
cognitive-communicative functioning, Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, healthy aging, clinical monitoring, SCCANAbstract
Aim: To examine cognitive-communicative functioning in adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease
(MCI-AD) and compare performance with cognitively healthy older adults using the Bulgarian-adapted version of the
Scales of Cognitive and Communicative Ability for Neurorehabilitation (SCCAN-BG).
Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included 60 participants: 30 individuals with MCI-AD and 30 cognitively
healthy controls comparable in education. Cognitive-communicative functioning was assessed across SCCAN domains, including
orientation, memory, attention, oral expression, auditory and reading comprehension, writing, and problem solving.
Group differences were analysed using non-parametric statistical methods.
Results: Overall SCCAN performance was lower in the MCI-AD group. Consistent group differences were observed in
memory, attention, oral expression, and problem solving. These differences suggest reduced efficiency in tasks that require
integrated cognitive-communicative processing. Reading comprehension and writing were largely preserved. Auditory
comprehension showed a non-significant trend towards lower performance in the MCI-AD group.
Conclusion: Cognitive-communicative changes are evident at the MCI-AD stage and extend beyond memory impairment
alone. The SCCAN-BG captures early, functionally relevant vulnerability in everyday communication. This supports its use
for clinical monitoring and rehabilitation-oriented decision-making in populations at risk for Alzheimer’s disease–related
cognitive decline.
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