Comparison of performance on three neuropsychological tests in healthy Turkish immigrants and Danish elderly.
BACKGROUND
Appropriate neuropsychological tests for cross-cultural assessment of dementia in elderly ethnic and linguistic minorities are generally lacking in Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-cultural applicability of the Recall of Pictures Test (RPT), Clock Reading Test (CRT), and supermarket fluency (SF) in samples of Turkish immigrants and Danish elderly.


METHODS
Samples of Turkish immigrants and Danish elderly were recruited from the Greater Copenhagen area. All participants were screened for factors known to affect cognitive test performance. Those who were included in the study underwent an approximately two-hour assessment, where the RPT, CRT, and SF were applied as a part of a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests.


RESULTS
A total of 109 elderly participants were included in the study: 73 Turkish and 36 Danish. Significant differences were found between the Turkish and Danish samples in CRT and SF performances, but not in any of the RPT measures. Age and acculturation level were the only demographic variables with significant impact on test performances. Performance data for the three tests are presented as percentiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Although small differences were observed between the Turkish and Danish samples on the CRT and SF, we consider the three tests to be important neuropsychological tests for assessment of dementia in elderly patients from ethnic minority migrant populations.
Memory Disorders Research Group, Danish Dementia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. rune.nielsen@rh.regionh.dk
T Rune
TR
Nielsen
Asmus
A
Vogel
Gunhild
G
Waldemar
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology