scholarly journals The Von Restorff effect in the Brazilian version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test in an elderly population

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
Gabriel Lima ◽  
Alina Teldeschi ◽  
Natália Oliveira ◽  
Camila Bernardes ◽  
Cláudia Drummond ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT. The Von Restorff (isolation) effect refers to a stimulus that is more likely to be remembered amongst other stimuli in memory tasks. It has been demonstrated with different age ranges and methodologies. Objective: To investigate: a) the presence of the isolation effect in elders tested with the new Brazilian Portuguese version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT) in which a word with potential emotional weight (mother) was introduced; b) whether isolation effects persist in memory disorders of different degrees of severity (Mild Cognitive Impairment [MCI]; Alzheimer’s Dementia [AD]). Methods: The RAVLT was administered to 287 consecutive volunteers. Individuals underwent medical and neuropsychological evaluation and were further sub-grouped into normal controls (n=114), MCI (n=87) and AD (n=86) patients. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-squared tests were performed. Post-hoc Tukey analysis was conducted to assess significance of group differences. Results: There were significant group effects on the learning curve. A W-shape - instead of the classical U-shape - was found for the serial position curve in all groups. Conclusion: The new Brazilian version of the RAVLT exhibited the Von Restorff effect, where this phenomenon was evident not only in older adults but also patients with MCI and AD, providing further psychometric measures for inter-group analyses.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietmar Heubrock

Performance on a German version of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) was investigated for 64 juvenile patients who were subdivided in 6 clinical groups. In addition to standard evaluation of AVLT protocols which is usually confined to items recalled correctly, an error analysis was performed. Differentiating between total errors (TE), repetition errors (RE), and misnamings (ME), substantial differences between clinical groups could be demonstrated. It is argued that error analysis of verbal memory and learning enriches the understanding of neuropsychological syndromes, and provides additional information for diagnostic and clinical use. Thus, it is possible to gain a more accurate picture so that patients can be appropriately retrained, and research into the functional causes of memory and learning disorders can be intensified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Ariela Gigi ◽  
Merav Papirovitz

Studies demonstrate that anxiety is a risk factor for cognitive decline. However, there are also study findings regarding anxiety incidence among people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which mostly examined general anxiety evaluated by subjective questionnaires. This study aimed to compare subjective and objective anxiety (using autonomic measures) and anxiety as a general tendency and anxiety as a reaction to memory examination. Participants were 50 adults aged 59–82 years who were divided into two groups: MCI group and control group, according to their objective cognitive performance in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Objective changes in the anxiety response were measured by skin conductivity in all tests and questionnaires. To evaluate subjective anxiety as a reaction to memory loss, a questionnaire on “state-anxiety” was used immediately after completing memory tests. Our main finding was that although both healthy and memory-impaired participants exhibited elevations in physiological arousal during the memory test, only healthy participants reported an enhanced state anxiety (p = 0.025). Our results suggest that people with MCI have impaired awareness of their emotional state.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared P Reis ◽  
Catherine M Loria ◽  
Lenore J Launer ◽  
Stephen Sidney ◽  
Kiang Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in middle-age is associated with later adulthood cognitive dysfunction; however, the consequences of suboptimal cardiovascular health in young adulthood are unclear. Methods: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study is a cohort of white and black men and women who were 18-30 years when a series of health behaviors (smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, diet) and health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose) were measured during a baseline clinic examination in 1985-1986. Included in the current study were 2,577 participants who completed an examination 25 years later when a cognitive battery to assess psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test [DSST]), executive function (modified Stroop Test), and verbal memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [RAVLT]) were administered. Ideal levels for each behavior and factor were defined according to the 2020 American Heart Association Goals for Cardiovascular Health. Associations were adjusted for age, sex, race, midlife educational attainment, and study center. Results: At baseline, the percentage of participants with 0-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-7 ideal health factors were 1.2%, 7.2%, 19.6%, 34.9%, 29.2%, and 7.8%, respectively. Adjusted mean DSST and RAVLT scores were higher among those with a greater number of ideal health factors ( Table ). Each additional factor at the ideal level was associated with a 0.78-point higher DSST score (95% CI: 0.28 to 1.28) and a 0.13-point higher memory score (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.25). Results did not differ by race or sex (p-interaction > 0.05). The ideal cardiovascular health score was not associated with performance on the Stroop Test. Conclusion: In this population-based sample, ideal cardiovascular health in young adulthood was independently associated with cognitive functioning in midlife. Table. Adjusted * mean (standard error) cognitive function scores at Year 25 by number of ideal health behaviors and factors at baseline: CARDIA (n=2,577). No. of Ideal Health Factors at Baseline (% of population) 0-1 (1.2%) 2 (7.2%) 3 (19.6%) 4 (34.9%) 5 (29.2%) 6-7 (7.8%) p-trend DSST 70.0 (2.5) 65.7 (1.0) 68.7 (0.6) 69.4 (0.5) 70.0 (0.5) 69.9 (1.0) 0.003 Stroop Test 21.5 (1.6) 21.2 (0.6) 21.0 (0.3) 20.6 (0.3) 20.6 (0.3) 20.4 (0.5) 0.14 RAVLT 7.4 (0.6) 7.6 (0.2) 8.0 (0.1) 8.2 (0.1) 8.3 (0.1) 8.1 (0.2) 0.02 * Adjusted for age, sex, race, midlife educational attainment, and study center. DSST=Digit Symbol Substitution Test; RAVLT=Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1101-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Allott ◽  
Stephen J Wood ◽  
Hok Pan Yuen ◽  
Alison R Yung ◽  
Barnaby Nelson ◽  
...  

Abstract It remains unclear whether the onset of psychosis is associated with deterioration in cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to examine the course of cognitive performance in an ultrahigh risk (UHR) cohort, and whether change in cognition is associated with transition to psychosis and change in functioning. Consecutive admissions to Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) Clinic between May 1994 and July 2000 who had completed a comprehensive cognitive assessment at baseline and follow-up were eligible (N = 80). Follow-up ranged from 7.3 to 13.4 years (M = 10.4 years; SD = 1.5). In the whole sample, significant improvements were observed on the Similarities (P = .03), Information (P < .01), Digit Symbol Coding (P < .01), and Trail Making Test-B (P = .01) tasks, whereas performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (Trials 1–3) declined significantly (P < .01) over the follow-up period. Change in performance on cognitive measures was not significantly associated with transition status. Taking time to transition into account, those who transitioned after 1 year showed significant decline on Digit Symbol Coding, whereas those who did not transition improved on this measure (P = .01; effect size [ES] = 0.85). Small positive correlations were observed between improvements in functioning and improvements in performance on Digit Symbol Coding and Arithmetic (0.24, P = .03 and 0.28, P = .01, respectively). In summary, the onset of psychosis was not associated with deterioration in cognitive ability. However, specific findings suggest that immediate verbal learning and memory, and processing speed may be relevant domains for future risk models and early intervention research in UHR individuals.


2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (2b) ◽  
pp. 318-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergilaine Pereira Martins ◽  
Benito Pereira Damasceno

OBJECTIVE: To study prospective and retrospective memory in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHOD: Twenty mild AD and 20 matched normal control subjects were included. Diagnosis of AD was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, using CDR 1 and MMSE scores from 16 to 24 for mild AD. All subjects underwent retrospective (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, RAVLT) and prospective memory tests (the appointment and belonging subtests of the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test, RBMT; and two tests made to this study: the clock and the animals test), as well as MMSE, neuropsychological counterproofs, and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. The data was analyzed with Wilcoxon test and Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: AD patients performed worse than controls in prospective and retrospective memory tests, with poorer performance in retrospective memory. There was no correlation between prospective memory and attention, visual perception, executive function, or depression scores. CONCLUSION: Prospective and, in higher degree, retrospective memory are primarily and independently impaired in mild AD.


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