A Normative Study of the Color Trails Test in the Greek Population

Abstract

The Color Trails Test (CTT) is a neuropsychological test that measures perceptual tracking and sustained and divided attention. Recently, its use has been increased in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, brain injury, and subclinical infarction. The aim of the present study was to provide normative data for the CTT in the Greek population. A total of 321 native Greek speakers with various professional backgrounds took part in the study. Exclusion criteria involved the existence of neurological and psychiatric diseases, history of alcohol and/or drug dependence, traumatic brain injury, and a Mini-Mental State Examination score below 27. Our results showed that age and education are important factors to consider for the interpretation of scores in all CTT variables. Older participants took more time and exhibited more errors, more near-misses, and more prompts compared with younger participants. Also, more-educated participants took less time, made fewer errors, had fewer near-misses, and rewired fewer prompts compared with less educated participants. CTT is a promising tool for the measurement of attention in the Greek population. Further research is needed to use this test in Greek patients with various neurological diseases.

Key words:

• attention
• CTT
• executive function
• Greek norms

Notes

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