Tijdschrift Voor Gerontologie En Geriatrie 

About: Tijdschrift Voor Gerontologie En Geriatrie is an academic journal published by Bohn Stafleu van Loghum. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Dementia & Health care. It has an ISSN identifier of 0167-9228. Over the lifetime, 870 publications have been published receiving 5203 citations.

De Nederlandse Leestest voor Volwassenen: een maat voor het premorbide intelligentieniveau

Abstract: The construction of the Dutch Adult Reading Test (DART) is described. The DART is the Dutch version of the National Adult Reading Test. Both tests consist of a series of words with an irregular pronunciation. The score on the test is a predictor of premorbid intelligence of brain damaged patients. Furthermore, results of reliability and validation studies with the DART are reported. The main findings, which were obtained with the NART, were replicated by the DART. These findings consist of a high correlation (.85) with verbal intelligence in healthy controls (n = 22) and insensitivity to cerebral deterioration in brain damaged and demented patients (n = 53). The test also appeared to be insensitive to cognitive deterioration in a group of psychotic patients (n = 43).

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and Alzheimer disease

Abstract: At present a reliable and specific diagnostic test of Alzheimer's disease is not available. Thus far, diagnosis is based on clinical criteria despite their occasional inadequacy. Post mortem search for neuropathological hallmarks can establish the diagnosis with certainty. In the present case control study we performed an apoE genotyping for 21 patients, divided into an Alzheimer-positive and an Alzheimer-negative group after neuropathological search. As described in the literature, the apoE-epsilon 4 allele was overrepresented in the Alzheimer-positive group, while in the Alzheimer-negative group the apoE-epsilon 3 allele dominated. The epsilon 4 allele of the apoE gene may be considered as a biological risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Especially in geriatric patients with cognitive impairment, apoE genotyping seems to be a supplementary tool for risk assessment.

Letterfluency: Psychometrische eigenschappen en Nederlandse normen

Abstract: Een Nederlandstalige bewerking van de Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) werd genormeerd bij 200 gezonde personen in de leeftijd van 17 tot 89 jaar. De COWAT is een letterfluency of fonemische fluencytest, die wereldwijd veel wordt gebruikt in de neuropsychologie. Fluency is een belangrijk aspect van het executief functioneren. De psychometrische eigenschappen (normen, betrouwbaarheid, validiteit) van de Nederlandse versie kwamen goed overeen met die van de oorspronkelijke test. De test heeft een betrouwbaarheid van 0,80 (interne consistentie; paralleltest-betrouwbaarheid is 0,78), en de score hangt significant samen met het opleidingsniveau en/of de woordkennis, maar niet met de leeftijd en het geslacht van de onderzochte persoon.

The Maastricht aging study (MAAS). The longitudinal perspective of cognitive aging

Abstract: The Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) was designed to specify the usual and pathological aging of cognitive function. In short, the main questions of MAAS are: who deteriorates when in which aspects of cognitive function, and what biomedical or psychosocial factors can be identified that may act as mediators in this process? The study comprises four independent panel studies in which a group of 1,900 initially healthy individuals are followed for a period of 12 years with respect to health characteristics and neurocognitive status. For this purpose a sample was drawn from a patient register of collaborating general practitioners, stratified by age (range 24 to 81 years), sex and general ability level. Rationale and design of MAAS are discussed and some findings from the cross-sectional baseline measurement are summarized: general aspects of memory and attention in aging, cognitive functioning after brain trauma and general anesthesia, physical condition (fitness, morbidity and vascular risk factors, such as blood pressure) as predictors of cognitive function, and finally cognitive complaints and metamemory.

[Neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia: psychometric aspects of the Dutch Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)].

Abstract: Behavioral and psychological symptoms are highly prevalent in dementia. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory was constructed to measure these symptoms. Data from three studies are presented concerning psychometric aspects of the NPI Dutch version. The NPI was compared to the Revised Memory and Behavioral Problems Checklist (RMBPC) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). In the three selected patient samples prevalence of behavioral or psychological symptoms was as high as 90%. Interrater agreement (n = 19) was very high (kappa > .90). Factor analysis (n = 199) supports NPI construct validity. The NPI items correlated reasonably high (R = .35 - .60) with the relevant RMBPC subscales (n = 24). Although some NPI items did, the NPI total score was not significantly related to the MMSE. The NPI Dutch version can be scored objectively and it is a valid rating scale for measuring a wide range of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.