Abstract
Background/Study Context: To provide baseline normative data on tests of verbal memory and executive function for nondemented younger- and middle-aged adults.
Methods: The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease word list memory task (CERAD-WL) and Victoria Stroop Test (VST) were administered to 3362 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) volunteer participants aged 24–78 years. Analyses of the effects of age, gender, and education were conducted. Normative data on traditional measures and error responses are reported for each test.
Results: Traditional measures were significantly associated with both age and education in this cohort. Error responses also evidenced significant age and education effects.
Conclusion: These data provide a normative comparison for assessment of verbal memory and executive functioning capabilities in younger- and middle-aged adults and may be utilized as a tool for preclinical studies of disease in this population.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the extraordinary participants and families of the Framingham Heart Study who made this work possible. We also acknowledge the great work of all the research assistants and study staff.
FUNDING
This work was supported by the Framingham Heart Study’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute contract (N01-HC-25195), by grants (R01-AG16495, R01-AG08122, R01-AG033040) from the National Institute on Aging, and by grant (R01-NS17950) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.