Objective: The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, which is used to evaluate learning and memory, is a widely recognized tool in the general literature on neuropsychology. This paper aims at presenting the performance of Brazilian adult subjects on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, and was written after we published a previous study on the performance of Brazilian elderly subjects on this same test. Method: A version of the test, featuring a list of high-frequency one-syllable and two-syllable concrete Portuguese substantives, was developed. Two hundred and forty-three (243) subjects from both genders were allocated to 6 different age groups (20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-44; 45-54 and 55-60 years old). They were then tested using the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. Results: Performance on the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test showed a positive correlation with educational level and a negative correlation with age. Women performed significantly better than men. When applied across similar age ranges, our results were similar to those recorded for the English version of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the adaptation of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test to Brazilian Portuguese is appropriate and that it is applicable to Brazilian subjects for memory capacity evaluation purposes and across similar age groups and educational levels. (20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-44, 45-54 e 55-60 anos) Descriptors

Introduction: The preservation of oral comprehension in the elderly is correlated with the preservation of their cognitive functions. Oral comprehension is a key feature for communication and its evaluation allows for the identification of more specific cognitive deficits, in addition to facilitating the development of more effective, early intervention strategies. Objective: Provide contemporary standards for the use of an instrument to assess oral comprehension, the Token Test, in a sample of healthy seniors. Method: A sample of 120 patients (76 women) with mean age of 71.1 years and 6.9 years of formal education, was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination to identify the existence of cognitive impairment, and the Token Test to assess oral comprehension. Results: There were significant correlations (p < 0.01) between the token test scores for education and age, which accounted for 5% and 21% of shared variance, respectively. These two variables were considered on the normative data tables. Discussion: The data obtained indicate that the standards provided here are sufficiently representative. This study identifies the need for future studies comparing the Token Test performance in elderly people either healthy or in the process of cognitive decline.

Background: The increase in life expectancy and proportion of elderly in the population is causing an increase in dementia prevalence rates. The correct, early diagnosis of dementia is very important to clinical treatment and to improved prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt and develop assessment tools for the differential diagnosis between pathological and normal aging processes. Objective: Assess the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of a neuropsychological protocol used in geriatric assessment. Method: Subjects (n = 69) with heterogeneous cognitive complaints were assessed at the Centro de Geriatria e Gerontologia at the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais using a protocol composed of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Clock Drawing, Corsi Blocks, Verbal Fluency, Digit Span and Token Test. Statistical analyses included factorial analyses of test results, Pearson's correlation between obtained factor, age, years of formal education and clinical dementia rating and area under the ROC curve. Results: The factorial analyses of test scores showed a general representative factor that had moderate and significant association with CDR (r = -0.672; p < 0.001) and years of formal education (r = 0.455; p < 0.001), respectively. This factor had weaker and less significant correlation with age (r = -0.282; p < 0.05). Discussion: These results point to the protocol's good construct and criteria validity in assessing cognitive decline in the elderly. Future works concerning applicability and populational norms are needed to improve the clinical use of this assessment protocol.

O período da gestação e do pós-parto implicam em um elevado risco para a mulher no que diz respeito ao desenvolvimento de psicopatologias. A prevalência da depressão pós-parto (DPP) é elevada, sendo que no Brasil os resultados variam entre 12 e 39,4% das mulheres após o parto 1 . As causas da DPP envolvem fatores biológicos e sociais 2 . Além de ser um quadro altamente prejudicial para a gestante e seus familiares, a DPP geralmente é acompanhada de outros quadros comórbidos, o que aumenta a gravidade desta condição 3 . Apesar da existência de diversos estudos sobre aspectos epidemiológicos e clínicos sobre a DPP, em muitas situações o diagnóstico não é feito de forma precoce e adequada devido a questões culturais (ex.: a mulher minimiza os sintomas sentindo-se culpada pelo humor depressivo após o parto), metodológicas (ex.: falta de instrumentos com boas propriedades psicométricas e de critérios objetivos para o diagnóstico) e pela própria heterogeneidade das manifestações clínicas da DPP.A Escala de Depressão Pós-Parto de Edimburg (EPDS) consiste em um instrumento de autoavaliação composto por 10 itens referentes aos sintomas depressivos frequentemente observados no puerpério 1 . Recentemente, em um estudo sobre as propriedades psicométricas da EPDS 1 , submetemos à escala 245 mulheres (média = 30,7; DP = 5,8) selecionadas aleatoriamente a partir dos dados de registro de internação de uma maternidade privada de Belo Horizonte-MG. As características da amostra estão descritas na Tabela 1. A Mini Plus-5.0 foi utilizada como padrão ouro para o diagnóstico de depressão. O coeficiente alfa de Cronbach de 0,87 e a área total sobre a curva ROC foi de 0,937 (erro-padrão = 0,20; p < 0,001), indicando excelente capacidade da EPDS em discriminar mulheres acometidas pela DPP. O melhor ponto de corte foi o de 10 pontos, o qual apresentou 86,4% de sensibilidade e 91,1% de especificidade.Visando explorar as propriedades psicométricas da escala, os itens do teste foram submetidos à uma análise fatorial, pela qual obtivemos os dois fatores descritos na Tabela 1. Os testes KMO (0,896)

Intelligence is a complex behavioral phenomenon, the biological substrates for which require further investigation. The present study investigated differences in electroencephalographic patterns of P300 waves between average- and high-intelligence Brazilian children using a cognitive working memory task. Brain activity was recorded in 8 children (Mage = 11.2 years, SD = .40 years) while they performed a working memory task. Four children had an IQ >120 (high-IQ group), and 4 had an IQ between 90 and 110 (average-IQ group). Different event-related potential (ERP) components were analyzed. The latency and amplitude of these wave peaks were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance. The groups differed in reaction time but not in the level of accuracy of their responses. With regard to ERPs, we observed an effect of intelligence on P3 latency, the difference for which reached the greatest magnitude, but this effect was only marginally significant (p = .098). Differences in the amplitudes of P2 and P3 were not significant between groups. Likewise, the more intelligent children were more likely to respond to the behavioral task more quickly. They also had a lower latency of the later components of ERPs. Although the results were only marginally significant, they are consistent with previous studies in this field.