Assessing memory deterioration with the Wechsler Memory Scale, the National Adult Reading Test, and the Schonell Graded Word Reading Test

Abstract

The National Adult Reading Test (NART), the Schonell Graded Word Reading Test (SGWRT), and the Wechsler Memory Scale, Form I (WMS) were administered to 65 healthy subjects aged 65 to 89 years. Regression equations were derived which allowed total raw score on the WMS to be predicted from the subject's age and from the number of errors on the NART alone or on the NART and SGWRT combined. The distribution of discrepancies between obtained and predicted WMS scores for each equation did not depart significantly from normality and the percentage of subjects at each discrepancy score is provided. The standard error of prediction for each equation is slightly less than that for predicting WAIS IQ from the NART. Sixteen patients with clinical diagnoses of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type obtained discrepancies as large or larger than the most discrepant 2% of normal subjects. These results suggest that this procedure may provide a brief but effective assessment of cognitive deterioration in the elderly and may be capable of assessing dementia earlier than the NART/WAIS combination.