title: Level of recall, retrieval speed, and variability on the Cued-Recall Retrieval Speed Task (CRRST) in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: Individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) show deficits on traditional episodic memory tasks and reductions in speed of performance on reaction time tasks. We present results on a novel task, the Cued-Recall Retrieval Speed Task (CRRST), designed to simultaneously measure level and speed of retrieval. A total of 390 older adults (mean age, 80.2 years), learned 16 words based on corresponding categorical cues. In the retrieval phase, we measured accuracy (% correct) and retrieval speed/reaction time (RT; time from cue presentation to voice onset of a correct response) across 6 trials. Compared to healthy elderly adults (HEA, n = 303), those with aMCI (n = 87) exhibited poorer performance in retrieval speed (difference = -0.13; p < .0001) and accuracy on the first trial (difference = -0.19; p < .0001), and their rate of improvement in retrieval speed was slower over subsequent trials. Those with aMCI also had greater within-person variability in processing speed (variance ratio = 1.22; p = .0098) and greater between-person variability in accuracy (variance ratio = 2.08; p = .0001) relative to HEA. Results are discussed in relation to the possibility that computer-based measures of cued-learning and processing speed variability may facilitate early detection of dementia in at-risk older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and the Einstein Aging Study, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. wendy.ramratan@einstein.yu.edu
authors.forename: Wendy S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Ramratan
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.forename: Cuiling
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Molly E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Mindy J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lipton
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buschke
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology