Normal ageing, impaired cognitive functioning and senile dementia--a mixture distribution analysis

F M Reischies; R T Schaub; P Schlattmann

doi:10.1017/s0033291700037806

Normal ageing, impaired cognitive functioning and senile dementia--a mixture distribution analysis

Psychol Med. 1996 Jul;26(4):785-90. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700037806.

Authors

F M Reischies¹, R T Schaub, P Schlattmann

Affiliation

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

PMID: 8817713
DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700037806

Abstract

Dementia scores in the population of very old subjects (70 to > 95) do not demonstrate an obviously bimodal distribution. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the assumption of two distributions explains the data significantly better than a one-distribution model. The first distribution component can be regarded as representing the normal range of scores and the second the pathological range. An additional finding shows the normal range distribution shifting to the pathological range with increasing age.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aging / physiology*
Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
Cognition Disorders / psychology
Dementia / diagnosis*
Dementia / psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Psychological Tests