Estimating premorbid intellectual level in dementia using the National Adult Reading Test: A Canadian study

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Abstract
Twenty elderly demented subjects were compared with 20 elderly controls using a neuropsychological test battery which included the National Adult Reading Test (NART) and the WAIS‐R. Significant differences emerged between the two groups on all of the cognitive measures administered, with the exception of the NART and the Verbal‐Performance IQ discrepancy. Models were constructed using the normal controls as subjects where NART errors and WAIS‐R Vocabulary age scaled scores were regressed against WAIS‐R FSIQ and WAIS‐R VIQ. These regression equations were then used to estimate premorbid intelligence levels in the demented sample, and these estimates were compared with the ‘current’ measures (WAIS‐R FSIQ and WAIS‐R VIQ). NART estimated IQs were significantly higher than Vocabulary estimated IQs, which in turn were significantly higher than WAIS‐R FSIQ and WAIS‐R VIQ. These results confirm that the ability to pronounce irregular words correctly remains relatively unimpaired in dementia.

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