Changes in explicit memory associated with early dementia in adults with Down's syndrome.
BACKGROUND
A modified version of the Selective Reminding Test (SRT) (Buschke 1973) was used to examine the changes in memory that occur with early-stage dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) in adults with intellectual disability (ID) and Down's syndrome (DS), and to compare these changes to those occurring with 'normal' ageing.


METHODS
Hierarchical linear modelling analyses showed steep declines in the performance of participants who had met the criteria for the onset of DAT. Non-demented participants also showed declines in performance which were related to their age. However, the absolute magnitude of these declines was consistent with a 'normal' ageing pattern and not with undetected dementia.


RESULTS
In analysing the specific memory components that are compromised, the present authors found that participants with early-stage DAT showed severely diminished long-term storage and retrieval processing abilities compared to their non-demented peers. Notably, these declines preceded other symptoms of dementia, in most cases by more than a full year and sometimes by as much as 3 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus, the present results clearly confirm that memory processes are affected during early dementia in adults with DS, and that the SRT has promise as a clinical tool.
Krinsky-McHale
S J
SJ
New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York 10314-6399, USA. sjmchale@worldnet.att.net
Devenny
D A
DA
Silverman
W P
WP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning