Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: October 13, 2016
[Building and validation of a test evaluating verbal recognition memory: The Forty test (f40)]
A Marqué1, C Hommet, T Constans
1Centre mémoire de ressources et de recherche du centre, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex, France. marque.aurelie@neuf.fr
Introduction:
Neuropsychologic evaluation is a primordial diagnostic tool. Numerous tests explore episodic memory but few tests exist to assess incidental verbal episodic memory or verbal recognition memory. This memory is however impaired early in certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Our objective was to create a test sensitive and specific to this cognitive dysfunction.
Method:
Our test was performed by 33 healthy volunteers and 51 patients (19 with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, 16 with Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal stage and 16 with Alzheimer's disease).
Results And Discussion:
Independently of age, education level and global cognitive impairment, the young and old healthy volunteers and the patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease displayed results significantly better than the group of Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal stage and Alzheimer's disease patients. Our test appears to be sensitive to dysfunction of verbal recognition memory. A score of 30/40 or less on the Forty test discriminates 91% of subjects with a cortical pattern of memory. This test could be recommended for clinical neuropsychological practice.
