The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test: applicability for the Brazilian elderly population

Abstract

A b s t r a c t Objective: The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test is a widely recognized test in neuropsychological literature to evaluate learning and memory. This paper presents the performance of six age groups of Brazilian elderly on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. Method: A version of the test was developed with a list of high-frequency one-syllable and two-syllable concrete Portuguese substantives. Two hundred and twenty-three subjects of both genders were allocated to 6 age groups (60-64, 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80-84 and 85-89 years old) and tested with the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. Results: Educational level and age had a positive and a negative correlation, respectively, with performance on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. Women performed significantly better than men. Our results were similar to those found for the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test English version, across similar age ranges. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the Brazilian Portuguese Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test adaptation was adequate and applicable for evaluating the memory capacity of Brazilian subjects, across similar age and educational levels.Descriptors: Memory; Aging; Auditory perception; Learning; Neuropsychological tests Resumo Objetivo: O teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey é um teste mundialmente reconhecido na literatura neuropsicológica que avalia aprendizagem e memória. Este trabalho apresenta a performance de seis grupos de idosos brasileiros (agrupados em faixas etárias distintas) no teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey. Método: A versão utilizada do teste foi desenvolvida com uma lista de substantivos concretos com uma ou duas sílabas muito freqüentes na língua portuguesa falada no Brasil. Duzentos e vinte e três sujeitos de ambos os sexos foram alocados em seis grupos de acordo com a idade (60-64, 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80-84 e 85-89 anos) e submetidos ao teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey. Resultados: O nível educacional e a idade tiveram correlação positiva e negativa, respectivamente, com a performance no teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey. Mulheres desempenharam o teste significativamente melhor que os homens. Nossos resultados são semelhantes aos encontrados na versão inglesa do teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey para sujeitos com idade semelhante. Conclusão: Nossos resultados sugerem que a adaptação brasileira do teste de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey é adequada e aplicável para avaliação da memória em sujeitos brasileiros de mesma idade e nível educacional.

Perfil neuropsicológico de adultos com queixas de desatenção: diferenças entre portadores de TDAH e controles clínicos

“…Recentemente, foram apresentados a validação e o poder discriminativo do Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), um teste computadorizado que objetiva avaliar a capacidade decisória e a impulsividade cognitiva 17 . Esforços têm sido realizados visando adaptar novos instrumentos, como a bateria de inteligência para adultos (WAIS-III) e a tarefa de lista de palavras 18 . Embora testes neuropsicológicos não sejam suficientes nem necessários para o diagnóstico de TDAH 19 , estes podem ser úteis para consolidação do diagnóstico por meio da obtenção de dados objetivos 20 .…”

Fidedignidade e validade de construto do Teste de Aprendizagem Auditivo-Verbal de Rey em idosos brasileiros

“…However, the present results cannot be generalized to the entire elderly population, being required further studies about the influence of factors such as education and depressive symptoms in more heterogeneous samples in order to increase the external validity of these findings. In this regard, we emphasize that the growing volume of studies to obtain normative parameters and applicability of neuropsychological tests for different segments of the Brazilian population 7,8,11,14,19 must be accompanied by studies on the psychometric properties of these instruments. This initiative will support the refinement of the use of these instruments for both clinical practice and research.…”

“…RAVLT: We used the adapted version for the Brazilian elderly population 8 . The fifteen words are read slowly to the subject, requesting him/ her to repeat them after the reading, independently from the order they were said (A1).…”

“…It was adapted for the Brazilian population by Malloy-Diniz et al 7 with a second version published later by the same author 8 , with some changes that favor its use in the elderly brazilian population, such as a change in the original list of words to a new one, containing high frequency disyllables in Brazilian Portuguese. In a recent study 9 that estimated the relationship between age, gender, educational level and test performance, significant correlations were found between these three variables and the processes of learning and memory assessed.…”

Dementia in Parkinson's disease: a Brazilian sample

“…The neuropsychological assessment battery included screening tools (Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Beck Depression Inventary) 13,14 , short-term and working memory for verbal and spatial materials (Digit span 15 , Corsi blocks tapping, forward span and backward span 16 ), episodic memory (Logical Memory, Visual Reproduction 17 , Figure Complex of Rey 18 and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning tests (RAVLT) 19 ), executive functions (Trail Making part B 20 , Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) 21 , Phonemic Fluency verbal and FAS 22 ), attention (Trail Making part A) 23 and semantic fluency verbal 24 . To avoid fatigue in the PD patients, neuropsychological assessment was conducted over two visits, each one lasting approximately one and a half hours in duration.…”