title: Old dogs with new tricks: Detecting accelerated long-term forgetting by extending traditional measures.
abstract: Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is a condition in which normal memory performance is displayed after short delays, but significant memory loss is detected when memory is tested after several days or weeks. This condition has been reported in patients with epilepsy, but there are few normative scores available for its detection in clinical practice. In the present study, we assessed 60 healthy control subjects 18-60years of age on three memory measures [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVLT), Logical Memory (LM), and Aggie Figures] at delays of 30min and 7days. With these normative values, we determined cutoff scores to look for ALF and then categorized the performance of 15 patients with focal epilepsy on the same tasks. Seven of the patients showed ALF, and, in four of these, no other memory deficits (i.e., deficits at 30min on at least one task) were detected. Of the several demographic and epilepsy factors examined, only higher estimated IQ and older age predicted ALF (and only on one task: RAVLT). The findings provide a useful set of data to be applied in the clinic and some insight into the factors that influence retention within the first week.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; ARC-Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: laurie.miller@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Laurie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.affiliation: ARC-Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Annu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mothakunnel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; ARC-Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Thayer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Epilepsy; Memory; Normative data; Recall