title: Memory for a geometrical configuration in the cognitively impaired elderly.
abstract: The objective of this study was to analyze the mnemonic reconstruction of a complex spatial configuration in a group of 10 men and women, 70-88 years, with a diagnosis of organic brain syndrome and 10 controls matched for age, sex and educational background. A Piagetian model of a geometrical configuration with contingent and non-contingent properties was used to establish a heirarchical order of memorial organization for spatial structures. Subjects were evaluated one hour and one week after learning in reconstruction tasks. Although individuals with dementia performed more poorly than the age-matched controls, the hierarchy of chosen characteristics reflected a schematic progression in the organization of spatial memory in both groups.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009949:Orientation; D012858:Size Perception; D013028:Space Perception; D013997:Time Factors