A DEMOGRAPHICALLY BASED INDEX FOR THE EST IMATION OF PREMORBID INTELLIGENCE

The estimation of premorbid cognitive performance levels is of conside rable practical importance ina wide range of clinical applications. Si nce many patients, however, cannot undergo neuropsychological examinat ion, a demographically based formula for estimating premorbid intellig ence has been developed. This was based on a sample of 420 subjects wh o were representative with rspect to age, gender and income. Using num erous inclusion and exclusion criteria it was guaranteed that no CNS d isorders or gaps in education or career were present. A widely used Ge rman test for the assessment of verbal intelligence (MWT-B) was used a s criterion. Age, education, occupational level and utilization of pri nt media significantly predicted verbal intelligence (r=.67). Sixty-ei ght percent of the subjects were correctly classified. The formula obt ained covers the range between:87 and 137 IQ points and is not related to gender, income, and county dwelling. Overall, the prediction obtai ned is comparable to those from equivalent formulas reported for US-Am erican and British populations.