PAVIA MEMORY PROJECT - STUDY DESIGN AND FIRST RESULTS

This paper describes the design and first results of the cross-section al phase of a study on memory impairment in elderly subjects (Pavia Me mory Project). The target population consisted of the 1,046 subjects b orn in 1925 and currently living in Pavia. Four hundred and thirty-six subjects (plus 287 interviewed at home) participated in the first sta ge, which consisted of a semistructured anamnestic interview. The 400 interviewed subjects with none of the exclusion criteria participated in the second stage, which consisted of a memory test battery, a stand ardized neurological examination and screening procedures for depressi on (GDS) and dementia (MMSE). On the basis of the memory scores, three groups were defined: memory impairment (MI: 8.8%), mild memory impair ment (MMI: 39.8%); normal (N: 51.3%). There were more failures on the visuo-spatial memory tests. Depression was equally distributed in the N and MI groups (about 15%), but was more frequent in the MMI group (2 7%). Abnormal neurological signs were largely independent of memory pe rformance. Two cohorts (of MI and N subjects) underwent neuropsycholog ical and instrumental (CT-scan, EEG, ERPs, eye movements) assessment, which will be regularly repeated in the longitudinal phase.