Nelson (1982) presented regression equations for the prediction of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) IQ from performance on the National Adult Reading Test (NART). In a cross‐validation sample (n = 151) these equations predicted 66, 72 and 33 per cent of the variance in WAIS Full Scale, Verbal and Performance IQ respectively. There were no ceiling or floor effects in the relationship between NART performance and WAIS IQ despite the wide IQ range of the sample. The standardization and cross‐validation samples were combined (n = 271) to generate new regression equations. These equations should be used in preference to the original equations as they are based on a larger sample with a wider IQ and age range. Combining NART and Schonell Graded Word Reading Test errors did not improve IQ prediction in poor readers. A detailed examination of the NART's test—retest and inter‐rater reliability was also conducted.

In the present study, a comparison was made of the fatty acid composition of the grey and white matter of the frontal, parietal and parahippocampal regions of post-mortem brains of patients who had died with Alzheimer's disease (n = 15) and control postmortem subjects (n = 10). Diagnosis of Alzheimer-type disease was based on the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in post-mortem sections. Several highly significant and specific differences were observed between the two groups. Adrenic acid (22:4 n-6) was three to four times higher in the grey matter but lower in the white matter in each of the three regions in the Alzheimer brains than in the control group. These alterations were compensated by reciprocal changes in 18:0 in the grey matter and 16:1 fatty acids in the white matter. There was no significant difference in the proportion of other fatty acids, including those of the n-6 and n-3 series, in either the grey or the white matter of any of the three regions of the two groups, except for a higher proportion of 22:6 n-3 in the parietal white matter in the Alzheimer patients. There was no significant relationship between the levels of the individual fatty acids and age at death. It is suggested that the alterations in the fatty acid composition observed in the brains of Alzheimer patients may be caused by an aberration in the system by which essential fatty acids are transported into the brain.

Interviews were conducted with the co-resident supporters of 79 elderly subjects. Forty of these elderly subjects had been diagnosed as being demented (20 mildly, 12 moderately and eight severely) following psychiatric assessment. The supporters were screened for psychological well-being with the 60-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Relatives' Stress Scale (RSS). Supporters of demented relatives showed significantly raised levels of stress on the RSS, but no increase in psychiatric morbidity on the GHQ, when compared with the supporters of non-demented relatives. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The validity of premorbid IQ estimates provided by the National Adult Reading Test (NART) and Vocabulary sub-test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were evaluated, by comparison with matched, healthy control subjects, in Korsakoff psychosis, alcoholic dementia, dementia Alzheimer type (DAT), multi-infarct dementia (MID), Huntington's disease, and closed head injury (CHI). There was no significant difference in NART performance between control subjects and the alcoholic dementia, DAT, MID, and CHI groups. Although there appeared to be a decline in NART performance in the Korsakoff and Huntington's groups, it did provide a significantly higher IQ estimate than the Vocabulary sub-test. All clinical groups, with the exception of the CHI group, performed at a significantly lower level than the control group on the Vocabulary sub-test.

To determine whether the National Adult Reading Test (NART) would provide a valid estimate of premorbid intelligence in schizophrenia, two schizophrenic samples were recruited, one consisting of 35 patients resident in long-stay wards, the other of 29 patients normally resident in the community. Schizophrenic patients were individually matched for age, sex, and education with a healthy, normal subject. Both schizophrenic samples scored significantly lower on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) than their respective control groups. NART-estimated IQ did not differ significantly between the community-resident schizophrenics and their controls, suggesting that the NART provides a valid means of estimating premorbid intelligence in such a population. NART-estimated IQ was significantly lower in the long-stay sample than in their controls. Although low NART scores in this latter sample could be a valid reflection of low premorbid IQ, the alternative explanation that NART performance was impaired by onset of the disease cannot be ruled out.