Differentiation of Alzheimer and cerebrovascular patients with the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test--Revised

60 adult patients with focal cerebrovascular accidents (30 with left cerebral hemisphere lesions, 30 with right cerebral lesions) and 30 adults with Alzheimer disease were compared to 30 normal adults on the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test--Revised (MPD--R). The regular scoring variables plus the two-step method of diagnosis for brain damage with the MPD--R were used. One-way analyses of variance with age and mental status as covariates yielded a significant difference between control subjects and brain-damaged patients on most of the MPD--R variables. The controls scored the best, followed by the Alzheimer and cerebrovascular groups. Planned comparisons for cerebrovascular vs Alzheimer subjects were significant across all MPD--R scores except distortion of dots; the Alzheimer subjects scored better than the cerebrovascular subjects. The two cerebrovascular groups were not differentiated by the MPD--R scoring variables. The MPD--R correctly identified 96% of each of the two brain-damaged groups and 70% of the control group. Findings are described in terms of the utility of the MPD--R in differential diagnosis with elderly populations.