WAIS-R marker for dementia of the Alzheimer type? An empirical and statistical induction test.
A specific WAIS subtest pattern has recently been shown to occur more frequently in cases of dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) than in cases of multi-infarct dementia (Fuld, 1984; Brinkman & Braun, 1984). To date, only one study has examined the frequency of this WAIS pattern in a normal elderly sample and found it to be infrequent (Tuokko & Crocket, 1987). If replicated on a larger sample of normals, it would increase the potential of this pattern as a behavioral marker of DAT. WAIS-R scores (age-corrected) were analyzed on a sample of 149 healthy volunteers (ages 60-94) who were part of an ongoing aging study. Because only 12% of the sample revealed this WAIS pattern, its utility as a conditional marker of DAT in three different hypothetical clinical base rate settings was evaluated. Results provided cautious optimism for the application of this marker in certain clinical settings.
Neuropsychiatric Institute, UCLA 90024.
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Satz
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Van Gorp
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Soper
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Mitrushina
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014888:Wechsler Scales