Improvement of picture recall by repetition in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type.
The evidence for positive effects of repetition on recall performance in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type is equivocal. This may be due to the difference repetition conditions used. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effects of different repetition modes on the improvement of recall performance in demented subjects. Twenty-four patients with Alzheimer type dementia and 24 control subjects with remitted depression were included in the study. Pictures were presented repeatedly using different presentation modes at a constant total presentation time. Free recall was tested repeatedly after different periods of delay (0-8 hours). Immediate and delayed list repetition significantly improved recall performance in both groups. Within-list repetition did not improve total recall in demented subjects. The repeated measurement design sensitively detected minor changes in recall performance. These were not observed using other measures of recall and recognition (hits, false alarms, indices of signal discrimination).
Heun
R
R
Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Germany.
Burkart
M
M
Benkert
O
O
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors