Dataset Information

Normative Data for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in Older White Australians and Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos.

ABSTRACT: Background:Processing speed, which can be assessed using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), is central to many brain functions. Processing speed declines with advanced age but substantial impairments are indicative of brain injury or disease. Objective:The purpose of this study was to provide SDMT normative data for older community-dwelling individuals in the U.S. and Australia. Methods:The ASPREE trial recruited 19,114 relatively healthy older men and women in Australia and the U.S. from the general community. All participants were without a diagnosis of dementia and with a Modified Mini-Mental State examination score of 78 or more at enrolment. The SDMT was administered at baseline as part of a neuropsychological test battery. Results:The median age of participants was 74 years (range 65-99), and 56% were women. The median years of education was 12. Ethno-racial differences in SDMT performance were observed and normative data were thus presented separately for 16,289 white Australians, 1,082 white Americans, 891 African-Americans, and 316 Hispanic/Latinos. There were consistent positive associations found between SDMT and education level, and negative associations between SDMT and age. Mean scores for women were consistently higher than men with the exception of Hispanic/Latinos aged ?70 years. Conclusion:This study provides comprehensive SDMT normative data for whites (Australian and U.S.), Hispanic/Latinos, and African-Americans, according to gender, age, and education level. These norms can be used clinically as reference standards to screen for cognitive impairments in older individuals.

SUBMITTER: Ryan J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7504980 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Normative Data for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in Older White Australians and Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos.

Ryan Joanne J Woods Robyn L RL Britt Carlene J CJ Murray Anne M AM Shah Raj C RC Reid Christopher M CM Wolfe Rory R Nelson Mark R MR Orchard Suzanne G SG Lockery Jessica E JE Trevaks Ruth E RE Storey Elsdon E

Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports 20200804 1

<h4>Background</h4>Processing speed, which can be assessed using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), is central to many brain functions. Processing speed declines with advanced age but substantial impairments are indicative of brain injury or disease.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this study was to provide SDMT normative data for older community-dwelling individuals in the U.S. and Australia.<h4>Methods</h4>The ASPREE trial recruited 19,114 relatively healthy older men and women in Austra ...[more]

PMID: 33024939

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Project description:BackgroundThe decline of cognitive processing speed (CPS) is a common dysfunction in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is widely used to formally quantify CPS. We implemented a variant of the SDMT in MS sherpa, a smartphone app for persons with MS.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the MS sherpa smartphone variant of the SDMT (sSDMT).MethodsWe performed a validation study with 25 persons with relapsing-remitting MS and 79 healthy control (HC) subjects. In the HC group, 21 subjects were matched to the persons with MS with regard to age, gender, and education and they followed the same assessment schedule as the persons with MS (the "HC matched" group) and 58 subjects had a less intense assessment schedule to determine reference values (the "HC normative" group). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were determined between the paper-and-pencil SDMT and its smartphone variant (sSDMT) on 2 occasions, 4 weeks apart. Other ICCs were determined for test-retest reliability, which were derived from 10 smartphone tests per study participant, with 3 days in between each test. Seven study participants with MS were interviewed regarding their experiences with the sSDMT.ResultsThe SDMT scores were on average 12.06% higher than the sSDMT scores, with a standard deviation of 10.68%. An ICC of 0.838 was found for the construct validity of the sSDMT in the combined analysis of persons with MS and HC subjects. Average ICCs for test-retest reliability of the sSDMT for persons with MS, the HC matched group, and the HC normative group were 0.874, 0.857, and 0.867, respectively. The practice effect was significant between the first and the second test of the persons with MS and the HC matched group and trivial for all other test-retests. The interviewed study participants expressed a positive attitude toward the sSDMT, but they also discussed the importance of adapting a smartphone cognition test in accordance with the needs of the individual persons with MS.ConclusionsThe high correlation between sSDMT and the conventional SDMT scores indicates a very good construct validity. Similarly, high correlations underpin a very good test-retest reliability of the sSDMT. We conclude that the sSDMT has the potential to be used as a tool to monitor CPS in persons with MS, both in clinical studies and in clinical practice.

Dataset Information

Normative Data for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in Older White Australians and Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos.

Publications

Normative Data for the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in Older White Australians and Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos.

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