Norms for CERAD constructional praxis recall

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Assessment
• Gerontology

Background:

• The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery is a standard tool for cognitive assessment.
• The four-item constructional praxis measure was a later addition to the CERAD battery.
• Normative data are essential for accurate interpretation of cognitive test performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish norms for the four-item constructional praxis measure within diverse older adult populations.
• To investigate demographic and age-related factors influencing performance on this measure.
• To provide reference data for the CERAD neuropsychological battery.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from cognitively intact African Americans (Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project, N=372) aged ≥70.
• Data collected from European American participants (Cache County Study of Memory, Health and Aging, N=507) aged ≥66.
• Data collected from European American CERAD clinic controls (N=182) aged ≥50.

Main Results:

• Performance on the constructional praxis measure varied significantly across study sites and demographic groups.
• African American participants showed performance variations by sex, education, and age.
• European American participants (both Cache County and CERAD controls) showed performance variations primarily by education and age, with a general decline in performance with increased age, lower education, and poorer performance in women.

Conclusions:

• Normative data for the four-item constructional praxis measure are now available for specific demographic groups.
• Age, education, and sex are significant factors influencing performance on this measure.
• These norms will aid in the accurate interpretation of constructional praxis in older adults within the CERAD framework.