[The 5-word test in 85 patients with generalized anxiety disorder].
OBJECTIVE
Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) expressed frequent memory complaints leading to consultations in memory clinics. The 5-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of people with memory complaints. It has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The objective was to evaluate memory performances of patients with GAD.


METHODS
Characteristics of the 5WT were investigated in a sample of 85 patients with GAD compared with 183 normal controls aged from 40 to 70 years.


RESULTS
For each score of the 5WT, GAD patients significantly differed from controls. Forgetting rate was twice more important in GAD patients than in controls. However, for any score of the 5WT, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves found no significant cut-off scores combining reliable sensitivity, specificity and correct classification of the subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of ancient and severe mnestic complaints, GAD patients have significant difficulties with the 5WT as compared to controls without being of the magnitude of those observed in AD patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The 5WT is an easy and rapid test allowing a reliable evaluation of memory in GAD patients. Results could usually confort patients. The presence of true memory deficits with the 5WT could not be ascribed to anxiety but to other pathological conditions. Consequently, further memory testing should be done.
Croisile
Bernard
B
Service de Neuropsychologie, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche de Lyon, Hôpital Neurologique, 59 boulevard Pinel, F-69677 Bron cedex, France. bernard.croisile@wanadoo.fr
Simon
Emile
E
Astier
Jean-Laurent
JL
Beaumont
Charlotte
C
Mollion
Hélène
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012660:Semantics