Affiliations: [a] Unidad de Memoria, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Seville, Spain
| [b]
Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
| [c] Service de Neurologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis (AP-HP), Paris, France
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Emilio Franco-Macías, Unidad de Memoria, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Avenida Manuel Siurot s/n, Seville 41013, Spain. Tel.: +34 609732041; Fax: +34955012593; E-mail: efranco17@gmail.com.
Abstract: Background:TMA-93 examines binding by images, a potential advantage for less-educated individuals. Objective:To obtain norms from older Spanish adults for TMA-93. Methods:A cross-sectional normative study was undertaken in a general neurology outpatient clinic of a university hospital in the Southern Spanish region of Andalusia. Partners of patients who attended the clinic were systematically recruited when eligible: aged 50 and over, no memory complaints, and a total score equal or above percentile 10 on Phototest. Age, gender, and educational attainment were considered as sociodemographic variables. TMA-93 was administered and the total score was registered. Results:The final sample contained 1,131 participants (mean age = 65.7, SD = 9.2), including 305 individuals (27%) who did not completed primary studies. The total score on TMA-93 showed a non-normal, left asymmetric, and leptokurtic distribution (median = 29, interquartile range = 27–30, range = 16–30) mitigated by lower education and older age. Stratified analysis by age and education showed wide variations of the scores for the 5-percentile. Conclusion:TMA-93 runs with a ceiling effect in non-cognitively impaired older Spanish adults. The score for the 5-percentile depends on age and education. The test is feasible for low-educated individuals.
Keywords: Associative memory, cognitive assessment, cross-cultural neuropsychology, memory test
