Trail Making Test: normative data for the Lebanese adult population

Abstract

Objective Trail Making Test (TMT) is a widespread neuropsychological test used to detect cognitive impairment in diverse neuropsychological conditions. Several studies have shown that TMT performance is influenced by different demographic factors. Thus, the present study aims to explore the effect of gender, age, and education on TMT basic and derived scores and to provide normative data for the Lebanese adult population. Method A total of 225 healthy Lebanese adults (aged between 18 and 64) were recruited. The two parts of the TMT were administered to the participants. Regression based strategy was applied to generate normative data. Results The results showed statistically significant effect of age and level of education on the TMT-A, TMT-B as well as the difference score TMT B –A. However, the ratio score was affected only by the age. Gender did not have any effect on TMT performance. An interactive calculator was created to calculate estimated Z-scores based on corresponding predictions of linear regression model. The calculator provides also percentile ranks. Conclusions The present study provides the first normative data for the TMT among the Lebanese population. Neuropsychologists in Lebanon will benefit from this outcome in order to improve the accurate detection of visual scanning/processing speed and executive function deficits in clinical settings for the adult population.