Preliminary Validation of the Triana Test: A New Story Recall Test Based on Emotional Material

Abstract

Objective: To first validate the diagnostic accuracy of the “Triana Test,” a new story recall test based on emotional material. Method: A phase I study of validation. We included 55 patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and 69 healthy controls, diagnosed according to the “Memory Associative Test of the district of Seine-Saint-Denis” (TMA-93), and matched by age, gender, and educational level. The Triana Test’s diagnostic accuracy was calculated by ROC curve analysis and Spearman correlations estimated its convergent validity with a hippocampal memory test, the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test with Immediate Recall (FCSRT+IR). Results: The “Triana Test” immediate and delayed recalls showed adequate diagnostic accuracy (AUC ≥ 0,74). The delayed free recall showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.86). Correlations with the FCSRT+IR were moderate to strong. Conclusions: The “Triana Test” demonstrated accuracy for discriminating amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment patients from healthy controls and convergent validity with the FCSRT+IR.

Norms for the Triana Test: A Story Recall Test Based on Emotional Material

“…Through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) for the delayed free recall reached 0.86 (95% CI = 0.79-0.92). This level of accuracy compares favorably with that of other story recall tests [21].…”

“…Since emotional arousal enhances declarative memory in healthy older individuals but inconsistently in cognitively impaired patients [26][27][28][29], the "Triana Test" hypothesizes that the story could effectively discriminate between patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and healthy controls (HCs). In this way, in a preliminary validation study that included 55 patients with aMCI and 69 HCs, the "Triana Test", particularly its delayed free recall component, showed good diagnostic utility for discriminating between the diagnostic groups [21]. Through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) for the delayed free recall reached 0.86 (95% CI = 0.79-0.92).…”

“…In the "Triana Test", the examinee is instructed to attentively listen to a narrative [21]. The examiner reads the story aloud, and immediately afterward, the examinee is asked to recall it word-for-word.…”

“…This immediate recognition recall phase also has a maximum score of 12 points. After a 20-min delay, during which non-memory tests may be conducted, both types of recalls, now called "delayed free recall" and "delayed recognition recall", are assessed again and scored in a similar manner [21].…”

“…The "Triana Test" is a recently developed story recall test with a different approach [21]. It aims to diagnose prodromal AD by presenting a captivating love and heartbreak story between a flamenco dancer and a Japanese student.…”