Numerous studies have examined executive function (EF) abilities in cognitively healthy older adults and those living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, there are no standard accepted protocols for testing specific EFs; thus, researchers have used their preferred tool, which leads to variability in assessments of decline in a particular ability across studies. Therefore, there is a need for guidance as to the most sensitive tests for assessing EF decline. A search of the most current literature published between 2000 and 2022 on EF studies assessing cognitively healthy older adults and individuals living with MCI and AD was conducted using PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Emphasis was placed on the EF's dual-tasking, inhibition, shifting or switching, and working memory updating. Many tasks and their outcomes were reviewed. Of particular importance was the difference in outcomes for tasks applied to the same group of participants. These various EF assessment tools demonstrate differences in effectively identifying decline in EF ability due to the aging process and neurodegenerative conditions, such as MCI and AD. This review identifies various factors to consider in using particular EF tasks in particular populations, including task demand and stimuli factors, and also when comparing differing results across studies.

中文翻译：

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健康和神经退行性衰老中执行功能能力的评估——选择性文献综述

许多研究检查了认知健康的老年人以及患有轻度认知障碍 (MCI) 和阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 的人的执行功能 (EF) 能力。目前，还没有用于测试特定 EF 的标准公认协议；因此，研究人员使用了他们喜欢的工具，这导致不同研究中对特定能力下降的评估存在差异。因此，需要对评估 EF 下降的最敏感测试进行指导。使用 PubMed/Medline、PsycINFO、Embase、Web of Science 和 Google Scholar 对 2000 年至 2022 年间发表的关于 EF 研究的最新文献进行了检索，该研究评估了认知健康的老年人以及患有 MCI 和 AD 的个体。重点放在 EF 的双重任务、抑制、转移或切换以及工作记忆更新上。许多任务及其结果都得到了审查。特别重要的是应用于同一组参与者的任务结果的差异。这些不同的 EF 评估工具在有效识别由于衰老过程和神经退行性疾病（例如 MCI 和 AD）而导致的 EF 能力下降方面存在差异。本综述确定了在特定人群中使用特定 EF 任务时需要考虑的各种因素，包括任务需求和刺激因素，以及比较不同研究的不同结果时。