Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-5-23
pubmed:abstractText
Although patients with Alzheimer dementia (AD) have impaired explicit memory, more automatic, implicit aspects of learning and memory may be relatively preserved. However, neuropsychological tests for the assessment of implicit memory are lacking. This study examines a newly developed test, the Implicit Memory Test, in 28 patients with severe AD (mini-mental state examination 5 to 12) and 22 cognitively unimpaired matched controls (mini-mental state examination 25 to 29). The Implicit Memory Test consists of visually presented word (stem-completion) and picture (fragmented picture identification) subtests, each comprising 3 learning trials and a delayed test. Explicit memory was also assessed, using the verbal paired-associate learning subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale and the Visual Association Test. Patients with AD obtained a floor performance on both explicit memory tests, whereas a significant learning curve was found for both the stem-completion and the fragmented pictures subtests of the Implicit Memory Test. Delayed testing on the fragmented pictures subtest showed a preserved performance that may have been mediated by implicit learning. Delayed performance on the stem-completion subtest, however, showed clear memory decay that suggests contamination by explicit memory function, at least in the controls. These findings extend the earlier results on word-stem completion and fragmented picture identification in patients with mild-to-moderate AD and indicate that residual learning capacity can be assessed in severe AD.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
1546-4156
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
25
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
179-83
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Assessment of nondeclarative learning in severe Alzheimer dementia: the Implicit Memory Test (IMT).
pubmed:affiliation
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.kessels@mps.umcn.nl
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article