Development of a 12-Word Version of a Verbal Learning Test for Persian-Speaking Older Adults: Reliability, Construct Validity, and Normative Standards.

OBJECTIVE: As people enter old age, they develop diseases, challenges, and cognitive and behavioral deficits that are associated with decreased abilities. Memory abilities and deficiencies and impaired models can be assessed using neuropsychological instruments, and a rehabilitation program can be developed based on the individuals' memory deficits. The present cross-sectional research aims to develop a new test (henceforth known as the Persian Verbal Learning Test, or PVLT) that is appropriate for Persian-speaking older adults. METHODS: For normative data, we administered PVLT to a group of 374 Persian-speaking healthy older adults consisting of both genders (190 women and 184 men) who were aged 60-89 years old. To determine reliability and validity, we evaluated neurologically healthy older adults and analyzed the results using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The present findings showed that age, education, and gender significantly affect subtests of the PVLT. In the evaluation of reliability, significant positive correlations were observed between the variables of the PVLT in the standard/standard form. Furthermore, moderate correlations were observed between PVLT variables (immediate recall, short-delay recall, long-delay recall, and recognition), and the Immediate and Delayed Logical Memory subtests of Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R). However, subtests of the PVLT also showed significantly positive correlations with MoCA and non-verbal variables of WMS-R. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study and given the good psychometric properties obtained, PVLT can potentially be used as a more appropriate tool than the SVLT for Persian-speaking older adults.

Recognition of Famous and Unfamiliar Faces among Patients Suffering from Amnesia Mild Cognitive Impairment (AMCI) and Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: Memory assessment for the early diagnosis of cortical dementia is a complicated process which depends on important factors such as facial recognition and naming. These factors could be considered to carry a predictive power to detect neurodegenerative disorders. The present study aimed to study and compare naming or recognizing famous faces with the recognition of newly learned faces among patients with Amnesia Mild Cognitive Impairment (AMCI) and Alzheimer's disease. Method : To collect data, 60 AMCI patients, 62 patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and 63 cognitively healthy individuals were assessed using Wechsler Memory Scale-III Faces test (WMS-III faces) and Famous Faces test. Results: The results of one-way ANOVA indicated that the patients suffering from AMCI and Alzheimer's disease scored significantly worse than the control group on naming (p < 0.001), recognition (p < 0.001) section of the Famous Faces test, and immediate or delayed recognition on the WMS-III Faces test (p < 0.001). Also, the obtained results showed that the patients groups received lower scores on WMS-III Faces compared to the Famous Faces test. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that the unfamiliar and Famous Faces tests allow the quantification of patients' face recognition and name recall abilities which, in turn, makes it possible to make more accurate predictions about cases of dementia. These tests can be used for clinical and research purposes to screen those who may be prone to dementia and need further neuropsychological assessment.

Shiraz Verbal Learning Test (SVLT): Normative Data for Neurologically Intact Speakers of Persian.

OBJECTIVE: Memory assessment plays an important role in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders. Several tests, such as the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), have been developed for this purpose, yet a variety of different factors can affect one's performance on such tests, the most important of which are demographic and cultural variables. The present study examined the norming process performed on the CVLT-revised and aimed to devise a new test, the Shiraz Verbal Learning Test (SVLT), to better meet the needs of speakers of Persian. METHOD: In order to collect normative data, a group of 1275 Persian-speaking individuals consisting of both sexes (676 women and 599 men) aged 20-89 years old were selected for this study. RESULTS: The results of Pearson's Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant negative correlation between age and SVLT performance and a positive one between education and SVLT performance (p < .001) among the whole sample. Moreover, between-group analyses showed that the female participants performed significantly better than their male counterparts on nearly all subtests (Total Trails 1-5, Short-Delay Free Recall, Short-Delay Cued Recall, Long-Delay Free Recall, Long-Delay Cued Recall, and Total Learning Slope), with the only exception being Long-Delay Yes/No Recognition. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the SVLT has the potential to be further developed among different culture and language groups. This test can also be used for clinical and research purposes for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders who need further neuropsychological assessment.