A longitudinal, behavioral study of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type
J. Botwinick, M. Storandt and L. Berg
Subjects with mild cases of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT n =
18) were followed up over four years with 16 behavioral tests given during
four test periods. This group was compared with a normal group (n = 30)
matched on age (64 to 81 years), sex, and socioeconomic status. Each of the
16 tests reflected significant group differences, with the normal subjects
showing little or no decline and the subjects with SDAT showing progressive
decline. The test showing the greatest decline over the four years was the
logical memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the test showing
the least decline was the Wechsler Memory Scale digit span forward subtest.
Even the latter test, however, reflected much decline. There were five
subjects with SDAT whose dementia remained mild throughout the four-year
study. The others progressed to more severe levels. The five subjects
performed more ably on each of the 16 tests than those who progressed to
more severe levels. In fact, after an initial level of decline, several of
the tests showed little or no decline among the five subjects. Four
hypotheses are offered in examining the differences between those subjects
whose dementia remained mild and those whose dementia did not.
