Biomedical subjects

C Munro Cullum

Publications and source records attributed to C Munro Cullum.

20 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

Normal aging and forgetting rates on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised.

The deleterious effects of aging on various cognitive abilities are widely recognized, yet little is known regarding what constitutes "normal" memory test performance in individuals over the age of 74. In this study, forgetting rates for verbal and nonverbal material from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) were examined in groups of older healthy individuals, age 50-70 and 75-95. Despite equivalent scores on measures of global cognitive status and attention/ concentration, the older group demonstrated significantly more rapid forgetting rates on the Visual Reproduction, Verbal Paired Associates, and Visual Paired Associates subtests of the WMS-R. Although patients with Alzheimer's disease also evidence very rapid forgetting on some subtests, the severity and pattern of losses appears useful in differentiating "abnormal" forgetting from that exhibited by normal elderly subjects. Preliminary normative data for normal elderly subjects on the WMS-R are presented, and the need for appropriate norms for elderly individuals is discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Performance of elderly Native Americans and Caucasians on the CERAD Neuropsychological Battery.

The performance of 40 elderly Native Americans and 40 demographically similar Caucasians clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer disease were compared on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB). The purpose was to determine whether performance on the CERAD-NB, a cognitive screening battery used to evaluate dementia in the elderly, is affected by cultural differences between these two groups, after controlling for age, education, and gender. All subjects were administered the CERAD-NB as part of a standard diagnostic evaluation. Statistical analyses revealed no significant differences between the two groups on any measures from the CERAD-NB. Thus, the CERAD-NB appears to be an efficient cognitive screening assessment in English-speaking Native Americans with known or suspected dementing illness and it appears that special norms may not be necessary in this population. However, additional studies of larger samples are needed for confirmation and to explore factors such as education, acculturation, and degree of Native American heritage, which may influence cognitive test performance.

Aged↗