BACKGROUND: Impaired cognition and activities of daily living (ADL) are core symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their relationship is unclear.

OBJECTIVES: To explore relationships between cognitive domains and functional ability during 5-year follow-up in persons with AD.

METHODS: We analyzed ALSOVA study data from 236 individuals with very mild or mild AD at baseline. The CERAD Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB) was used as a cognitive measure and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study ADL (ADCS-ADL) as a functional measure, analyzing the IADL and BADL sub-scores separately. Annual regression models and linear mixed-effect models (LMMs) covering a 5-year follow-up period were used.

RESULTS: Annually, the CERAD-NB total and especially Verbal Fluency, Clock Drawing, and Constructional Praxis were associated with the total ADCS-ADL and IADL scores increasingly yet modestly, and to a lesser extent the BADL score. In the LMMs, the same measures and MMSE were associated with ADL.

CONCLUSION: Measures of executive function and visuoconstructive skills appear to be associated with caregiver-interview based ADL measure during the progression of AD.