Estimating Premorbid Intelligence among Older Adults: The Utility of the AMNART

Abstract

This study examines the utility of the American version of the National Adult Reading Test (AMNART) as a measure of premorbid intelligence for older adults. In a sample of 130 older adults, aged 56 to 104, the AMNART was compared to other tests of premorbid intelligence. The results revealed that AMNART-estimated IQ was significantly higher than other premorbid estimates. Across specific educational groups (i.e., 0–12, 13–16, and 17 or more years of education), AMNART-estimated IQ was inflated relative to all other premorbid estimates. The AMNART also declined as cognitive impairment increased, and there was a significant interaction between aging-related diagnostic group and premorbid estimate. The AMNART may therefore overestimate premorbid ability relative to other premorbid measures, particularly among those with greater cognitive impairment and lower levels of education. These results suggest that the AMNART should be used cautiously among older adults and in conjunction with other estimates of premorbid ability.

Estimating Intelligence in Spanish: Regression Equations With the Word Accentuation Test and Demographic Variables in Latin America

“…The WAT-R showed a high internal consistency (.95), as has been published in similar English (Nelson, 1982;Nelson & Willison, 1991) and Spanish tests (Burin et al, 2000;Del Ser et al, 1997;Krueger et al, 2006;Schrauf et al, 2006). There were high and significant correlations between the WAT-R and IQ, showing convergent validity as has been found for similar tests Lowe & Rogers, 2011;Schretlen et al, 2005) and previous WAT versions (Del Ser et al, 1997;Krueger et al, 2006;Schrauf et al, 2006). The WAIS IQ had high and significant correlations with the WAT-R and years of education and showed differences as a function of different occupational levels and place of birth.…”

Higher education is not associated with greater cortical thickness in brain areas related to literacy or intelligence in normal aging or mild cognitive impairment

“…The AMNART score may better reflect such cumulative experience, and provide a more sensitive assessment of literacy. However, AMNART is influenced by progression of dementia (Lowe & Rogers, 2011; Taylor, et al, 1996), and our findings of a significant difference between HC and MCI participants suggest that it may be influenced by cognitive changes that occur in the prodromal stage, potentially making it a less suitable proxy than education level in individuals with MCI. When we substituted AMNART for education level as the proxy for reserve in cognitively healthy subjects (HC), we found no significant differences in cortical thickness or volumes between those scoring in the lowest and highest quartiles.…”

“…Although our main focus was on brain areas related to literacy and intellectual ability, we secondarily examined whether education protects against loss in brain areas most vulnerable to the effects of early AD, including the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. We additionally examined whether the American National Adult Reading Test (AMNART), a measure that may better reflect lifetime educational attainment relative to years of education, showed similar associations with cortical thickness; the AMNART was not used as our primary proxy for cognitive reserve as it may be influenced by neurodegeneration (Lowe & Rogers, 2011; Taylor, et al, 1996). …”

Patient Characterization Protocols for Psychophysiological Studies of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-TBI Psychiatric Disorders

“…However, access to the WAIS battery and to WTAR requires clinical licensure, and most ERP researchers are not clinically qualified. Though it is normalized for WAIS-R, AMNART with the Grober and Sliwinski formula continues to be used (97). For ERP studies where assessment of injury-induced cognitive decline is not a primary focus, and in the absence of collaborators with appropriate licensure, we recommend using AMNART with the Grober and Sliwinski formula (73) and both Barona formulas (76, 79).…”