Clinical Assessment of Cognitive Decline in Adults with Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is an intellectual disability requiring periodic monitoring of cognition given the near universal presence of Alzheimer’s Disease related neuropathology and high rates of dementia in middle adulthood. We review current approaches to detecting decline in this population, including informant-based measures, dementia screening tools, and neuroimaging techniques. The challenges for detecting decline in this group are discussed, including the need to take into account premorbid cognitive function as well as medical comorbidity.