Abstract
Cognitive function evaluation entails the use of neuropsychological tests, applied exclusively or in sequence. The results of these tests may be influenced by factors related to the environment, the interviewer or the interviewee.OBJECTIVESWe examined the test-retest reliability of some tests of the Brazilian version from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease.METHODSThe ELSA-Brasil is a multicentre study of civil servants (35-74 years of age) from public institutions across six Brazilian States. The same tests were applied, in different order of appearance, by the same trained and certified interviewer, with an approximate 20-day interval, to 160 adults (51% men, mean age 52 years). The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the reliability of the measures; and a dispersion graph was used to examine the patterns of agreement between them.RESULTSWe observed higher retest scores in all tests as well as a shorter test completion time for the Trail Making Test B. ICC values for each test were as following: Word List Learning Test (0.56), Word Recall (0.50), Word Recognition (0.35), Phonemic Verbal Fluency Test (VFT, 0.61), Semantic VFT (0.53) and Trail B (0.91). The Bland-Altman plot showed better correlation of executive function (VFT and Trail B) than of memory tests.CONCLUSIONSBetter performance in retest may reflect a learning effect, and suggest that retest should be repeated using alternate forms or after longer periods. In this sample of adults with high schooling level, reliability was only moderate for memory tests whereas the measurement of executive function proved more reliable.
Highlights
Human cognition refers to the acquirement of knowledge by means of a complex interaction of the neural networks, which form the mental processes connected to thinking, perception, memory and premeditated action
The reliability of a test is highly influenced by the characteristics of the population that takes it. 1 the objective of this study was to assess the reliability, by test and retest, of those cognitive tests applied in the ELSA-Brasil population and, to investigate their reliability according to age, sex and schooling
The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) varied from 0.35, for the recognition test, to 0.91, for the Trail B, which means that the capacity of the different tests to discriminate between individuals ranged from between moderate and almost perfect, respectively
Summary
Human cognition refers to the acquirement of knowledge by means of a complex interaction of the neural networks, which form the mental processes connected to thinking, perception, memory and premeditated action. The study of cognitive functions includes clinical and neuropsychological evaluations. Neuropsychological evaluation includes the use of tests, applied exclusively or in sequence, to assess functional and intellectual abilities. These tests attempt to capture and describe complex phenomena in a standardized manner, so they can be analysed in clinical and epidemiologic studies.[1]. There are sources of variability associated with the test itself These may be assessed by the test’s validity and reliability. The latter indicates the extent to which the test can obtain the same results when reapplied, maintaining the same original conditions.[2]
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