Performance of illiterate and literate nondemented elderly subjects in two tests of long-term memory.
Cognitive evaluation in developing countries is a difficult undertaking due to low levels of schooling and particularly the illiteracy still frequent in the elderly. This study was part of the epidemiologic evaluation of dementia in Catanduva, Brazil, and had the objective of comparing the performance of illiterate and literate nondemented elderly individuals in 2 tests of long-term memory-the delayed recall of a word list from the CERAD and the delayed recall of common objects presented as simple drawings from the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB). Fifty-one elderly subjects (23 illiterates) were evaluated, and the performance of the illiterates and literates differed in the CERAD memory test, but not in the BCSB memory test. This test may be more suitable for the assessment of long-term memory in populations with a high frequency of illiterates, and therefore might prove to be a useful screening tool for the diagnosis of dementia.
Nitrini
Ricardo
R
Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil. rnitrini@uol.com.br
Caramelli
Paulo
P
Herrera Júnior
Emílio
E
Porto
Cláudia Sellitto
CS
Charchat-Fichman
Helenice
H
Carthery
Maria Teresa
MT
Takada
Leonel Tadao
LT
Lima
Edson Pereira
EP
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology