Validade discriminante do teste de aprendizagem Auditivo-Verbal de Rey: Comparação entre idosos normais e idosos na fase inicial da doença de Alzheimer

Abstract

Objective: This transversal study aims to evaluate the discriminate validity of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) by comparing a sample of normal elderly with a patient at the initial stage of Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Age and educational attainment matched patients at the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease (n = 35) and normal elderly (n = 35) were submitted to the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Mini Mental State Examination and the Geriatric Depression Scale. The performance of the two groups was compared using the Mann-Whitney test at each stage of the RAVLT and by ROC analysis the discriminate validity of the test in both populations was evaluated. results: The group at the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease had significantly worse performance in all steps of the RAVLT compared to the control group, and the steps showed good diagnostic power, with areas under the curve ranging between 0.806 and 0.989 (A1 = 0,806; A2 = 0,869; A3 = 0,958; A4 = 0,947; A5 = 0,989; A6 = 0,962; A7 = 0,985; TOTAL = 0,975; LOT = 0,895; REC = 0, 915). Conclusion: The results suggest that the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test is effective for discriminating normal elderly seniors from the ones in early stages of Alzheimer's disease.