Predicting development of dementia in the elderly with the Selective Reminding Test

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Abstract
The ability to predict the development of dementia through the detection of memory impairment in nondemented individuals was assessed with the Selective Reminding Test (SR), a popular test of verbal memory functioning in the elderly. The SR was administered to 385 nondemented volunteer subjects (mean age=80.4 years) enrolled in a longitudinal study of risk factors in the development of dementia. Of these, 36 subjects ultimately became demented. SR scores obtained from 1 to 2 years prior to the diagnosis of dementia were compared with a set of previously established cutoff scores derived from a cognitively normal elderly sample. The results demonstrated that sum of recall and delayed recall were the SR measures best able to predict dementia with sensitivities of 47% and 44%, respectively. The predictive values were 37% and 40%, respectively, or better than two-and-one-half times the base rate. The contributions of both the SR Test and the Fuld Object-Memory Test (OM) were discussed in terms of the further understanding of the characteristics of the preclinical phase of dementia.