PERFORMANCE OF SUBJECTS WITH PROBABLE ALZHEIMER-DISEASE AND NORMAL ELDERLY CONTROLS ON THE GOLLIN INCOMPLETE PICTURES TEST

Our study was designed to evaluate perceptual ability measured by the Gollin Incomplete Pictures Test (in which subjects identify fragmented pictures of common objects) in Alzheimer Disease. We developed a stan dardized procedure for administering Gollin's test and compared the pe rformance of 58 Alzheimer patients and 37 elderly controls on the Goll in, two design copying tests, the Mini-Mental State Examination, a ver bal version of the Knox Cubes test, a recognition memory test, and a v erbal fluency test. Alzheimer patients performed significantly more po orly than controls on all tests. Factor analysis demonstrated a visual perceptual factor, with loadings on the Gollin test and design copyin g, and three other factors representing primary memory, secondary memo ry, and language. Results indicate the Gollin test measures visual per ceptual ability, but the precise nature of the task requires further s tudy. Identification of fragmented pictures appears a practical and po tentially useful measure for evaluating at least some aspects of visua l perception in patients with generalized cognitive impairment.