Page 31 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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Then the tester asks the subject to mentally subtract 7 serially from 100 (93, 86, 79, etc), and stop
after five answers. After this test of calculation, which is meant to distract the subject from focusing
on memorizing the three words, the tester tells the subject “Repeat back the three words that I told
you earlier.’’ Again, absolutely no hints or prompts or extra conversation are permitted. Responses
should be exact to get a positive score, and words that are similar in meaning (dime instead of
penny) or spelling (tablet instead of table) should be given a score of 0. The tester should score only
the subject's first attempt, based on how many of the original three words were accurately recalled.

Number of words recalled correctly (first attempt only)

0
3
1
2

End of Test

Tester: skip the next two paragraphs and proceed to List-Learning Test.

This is clearly a test of verbal memory. Recalling all three words accurately at the first attempt
indicates that there are no major problems with your memory, while recalling 2 out of 3 words
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suggests that your memory may be a little shaky. Recalling only 1 word, or even worse, 0 out of 3
words, is not a good sign and should trigger clinical consultation. These recommendations flow
partly from the results of a study that I published with my colleagues in 1997. In that study, seventy-
five outpatients, who ranged in age from their forties to eighties, with minimal to mild cognitive
impairment were followed for an average of two and a half years. People who recalled 0 or 1 out of 3
objects on this test were at high risk of developing dementia during follow-up, a score of 2 out of 3
was associated with low to moderate risk of developing dementia, and virtually no one who correctly
scored 3 out of 3 met diagnostic criteria for dementia at the final follow-up visit. Other studies have
also shown that this simple test is quite useful in distinguishing between people with mild versus
severe memory disorders. The complete version of the Mini Mental State examination has a dozen
items that covers a range of cognitive functions, with a maximum score of 30 (Folstein et al., 1975;
see bibliography).

The next memory task is a little more difficult and is particularly useful in distinguishing normal
memory from subtle memory loss.

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