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Screening for dementia by memory testing
Ellen H. Grober, Herman Buschke, Howard Crystal, S. Bang, R. Dresner. Neurology, 1988-06-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Enhanced cued recall provides a simple and clinically useful memory test for identifying dementia in the elderly. Because this test induces semantic processing and coordinates encoding and retrieval for maximum recall, genuine memory deficits due to impairment of specific memory processes can be distinguished from apparent memory deficits due to use of inefficient strategies or impairment of other cognitive processes. Since genuine memory deficits in the elderly are usually associated with dementia, their identification is highly predictive of clinical dementia. The present study validates the use of enhanced cued recall as a screening test for dementia in 70 aged subjects. All but one person with a pure amnesia were correctly classified. Enhanced cued recall correctly classified 97% of the 120 subjects in this and the previous study. Enhanced cued recall shows learning not revealed by free recall, providing more accurate measurement of memory, and distinguishes demented from nondemented elderly more accurately than either free recall or recognition.
Why it matters
Tests enhanced cued recall, a memory test, as a way to screen for dementia in 70 older people. Across this and an earlier study it correctly classified 97% of 120 people, and it separated people with and without dementia more accurately than free recall or recognition.
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence and senior author's track record, so those were left out: it earned 43 of the 91 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1988 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 966 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 24.1 citations a year over 40 year(s) since 1988 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 81 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author R. Dresner holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Albert Einstein College of Medicine: institution h-index 973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 3368071) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 43 / 91 | Scored on 18 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 43 of the 91 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Grober, E. H., Buschke, H., Crystal, H., Bang, S., & Dresner, R. (1988). Screening for dementia by memory testing. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.38.6.900
Vancouver
Grober EH, Buschke H, Crystal H, Bang S, Dresner R. Screening for dementia by memory testing. Neurology. 1988. doi:10.1212/wnl.38.6.900. PMID: 3368071.
BibTeX
@article{grober1988-3368071,
author = {Grober, Ellen H. and Buschke, Herman and Crystal, Howard and Bang, S. and Dresner, R.},
title = {{Screening for dementia by memory testing}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.38.6.900},
pmid = {3368071},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.38.6.900}
}