[Standardization of the 5-word test in a group of 191 normal subjects aged 50 to 90 years].
BACKGROUND
The 5-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It allows to estimate cued learning, free recall, and cued recall of 5 words during immediate and delayed recalls (5 min later). The 5WT is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people. It has shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).


METHODS
We report the constitution of a sample of 191 French speaking normal subjects, aged from 50 to 90 years, in four age classes (50 years, 60 years, 70 years, 80 years) and three education levels. Total Score, Total Weighted Score, Free Delayed Recall, Delayed Recalls Total (memory score), and Free Recalls Total appear to be the best scores to appreciate the memory performance of the normal subjects. A Total Score of 10 was obtained in 74.9 p.cent of the subjects. No immediate nor delayed intrusions were recorded. In spite of the absence of an explicit consign, the recalled words were often ordered as they were in the list.


CONCLUSIONS
The 5WT is a simple and reliable test for investigating memory in elderly people above 50 years old.
Croisile
B
B
Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche de Lyon, Laboratoire de Neuropsychologie, Fonctions cognitives, Langage et Mémoire, Hôpital Neurologique, Bron. bernard.croisile@wanadoo.fr
Astier
J L
JL
Beaumont
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014706:Verbal Learning