| Dementia is an increasingly important public health problem as the population ages. It affects approximately four to six percent of individuals over the age of 65 which, at present, is one of the fastest growing segments of the population. Alzheimer's dementia is the leading cause of progressive and irreversible dementia in the United States and Europe; vascular dementia is the second leading cause.; Studies have shown that patients with vascular dementia consistently perform better on memory tasks than those with Alzheimer's dementia. Although, many of the memory tests available are too difficult, and consequently not sensitive enough, for those patients with moderate to severe levels of dementia. The Three Words-Three Shapes test is a simple visual and verbal learning and memory test for those who cannot participate in more challenging memory tests. Based on the cognitive and neuropathological findings of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia it was hypothesized that the vascular dementia group would perform better on the delayed recall and recognition tasks as well as the amount of material retained over time on the Three Words-Three Shapes test. It was also hypothesized that the vascular dementia patients would show more perseverative errors than the Alzheimer dementia group.; The vascular dementia group performed better on the delayed recall tasks and retained more information than the Alzheimer dementia group on the Three Words-Three Shapes test. There was not a statistically significant difference between the Alzheimer dementia and vascular dementia group on the delayed recognition task or perseverative errors. It appears as though this test is not conducive to eliciting perserverative errors. Limitations of the study as well as directions future research might take are also discussed. |
