IMPROVEMENT OF PICTURE RECALL BY REPETITION IN PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIAOF ALZHEIMER-TYPE

The evidence for positive effects of repetition on recall performance in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type is equivocal. This may be due to the difference repetition conditions used. The aim of this stud y was therefore to evaluate the effects of different repetition modes on the improvement of recall performance in demented subjects. Twenty- four patients with Alzheimer type dementia and 24 control subjects wit h remitted depression were included in the study. Pictures were presen ted repeatedly using different presentation modes at a constant total presentation time. Free recall was tested repeatedly after different p eriods of delay (0-8 hours). Immediate and delayed list repetition sig nificantly improved recall performance in both groups. Within-list rep etition did not improve total recall in demented subjects. The repeate d measurement design sensitively detected minor changes in recall perf ormance. These were not observed using other measures of recall and re cognition (hits, false alarms, indices of signal discrimination).