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As part of the NEURONORMA project, we provide age- and education-adjusted norms for the Stroop color-word interference test (SCWT)-Golden version and the Tower of London-Drexel University version (TOL(DX)). The sample consists of 344 and 347 participants, respectively, who are cognitively normal, community dwelling, and ranging in age from 50 to 90 years. Tables are provided to convert raw scores to age-adjusted scaled scores. These were further converted into education-adjusted scaled scores by applying regression-based adjustments. Demographic variables, age, and education significantly affect scores of the SWCT and TOL(DX), sex, however, was found to be unrelated to performance in this sample. The normative data presented here were obtained from the same study sample as all the other NEURONORMA tests. In addition, the same statistical procedures for data analyses were applied. These co-normed data allow clinicians to compare scores from one test with all tests.

This paper describes the methods and sample characteristics of a series of Spanish normative studies (The NEURONORMA project). The primary objective of our research was to collect normative and psychometric information on a sample of people aged over 49 years. The normative information was based on a series of selected, but commonly used, neuropsychological tests covering attention, language, visuo-perceptual abilities, constructional tasks, memory, and executive functions. A sample of 356 community dwelling individuals was studied. Demographics, socio-cultural, and medical data were collected. Cognitive normality was validated via informants and a cognitive screening test. Norms were calculated for midpoint age groups. Effects of age, education, and sex were determined. The use of these norms should improve neuropsychological diagnostic accuracy in older Spanish subjects. These data may also be of considerable use for comparisons with other normative studies. Limitations of these normative data are also commented on.

We studied the validity of a complete (S-IQCODE) and a shortened (SS- IQCODE) Spanish version of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) for the diagnosis of dementia in a clinical setting. Fifty-three consecutive outpatients were assessed with an extensive workup and followed up for 6 months in a specialized clinic for the diagnosis and management of dementia. Thirty eight (71%) were finally diagnosed as demented. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) had a slightly greater diagnostic power than did the S-IQCODE and the SS-IQCODE (sensitivity 89% vs. 84% and 79%; specificity 80% vs. 73% for both; positive predictive value 92% vs. 89% and 88%; negative predictive value 75% vs. 65% and 58%), but without statistical significance. Both the S-IQCODE and SS-IQCODE were independent of previous education of the patients. The best diagnostic results were obtained when the cognitive scores of the patient in the MMSE and the report of the relative in the S-IQCODE were simultaneously considered. We conclude that the IQCODE, in a complete as well as in a shortened form, is a good diagnostic instrument in the clinical setting that can enhance the validity of other cognitive tests.