Modeling practice effects in healthy middle-aged participants of the Alzheimer and Families parent cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Repetitive administration of neuropsychological tests can lead to performance improvement merely due to previous exposure. The magnitude of such practice effects (PEs) may be used as a marker of subtle cognitive impairment because they are diminished in healthy individuals subsequently developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods

To explore the relationship between sociodemographic factors, AD family history (FH), and APOE ε4 status, and the magnitude of PE, four subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV were administered twice to 400 middle-aged healthy individuals, most of them first-degree descendants of AD patients.

Results

PEs were observed in all measures. Sociodemographic variables did not show a uniform effect on PE. Baseline sco

SUBMITTER: Sanchez-Benavides G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5061467 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature