Declining of memory functions of normal elderly persons

Two studies examined the declining of memory functions in normal elderly pe rsons using the Yokota memory test (YMT), which includes 15 items concernin g verbal and non-verbal memory functions. In the first study, 552 subjects over 40 years of age in five age groups were examined. Factor analysis reve aled that YMT consisted of two factors pertaining to short-term/working mem ory, and two factors pertaining to long-term memory. It is suggested that t he former was more affected than the latter, with aging. In the second stud y, YMT was examined in relation to the revised version of Hasegawa dementia scale (HDS-R), which was the most popular intelligence scale for the elder ly in Japan. As a result, memory functions differentially declined with the decreasing score of HDS-R, which suggests that memory functions differenti ally declined with progressive risk of dementia.