Normative data and change scores on the CERAD Word List in a robustly intact sample of older adults and preliminary validation in an impaired sample

Objectives: The Word List subtest of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery has been widely used in clinical research to identify and track cognitive disorders. However, normative data and change scores are lacking. The current study aimed to create normative data for the Word List subtest. Methods: CERAD Word List data from 1,530 older adults diagnosed as cognitively intact, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or dementia were seen for two annual visits in a longitudinal observational study from the Uniform Data Set of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. Multiple linear regression predicted Time 2 scores from Time 1 scores, demographic variables (age, education, sex, and race), and retest interval. Validation included comparing predicted scores to observed scores in the original sample, and additional validation across five comparison groups (cognitively intact, MCI, dementia, worsening cognition, or improving cognition) and one-sample chi-square test of probabilities to compare group classification to predicted categorization based on chance alone. Results: The four demographic variables significantly predicted test scores for the six primary scores from the Word List subtest. For change data, when predicted Time 2 scores were compared to observed Time 2 scores, there were significant differences for 4 of the 6 scores, but the effect sizes were small. Significant differences were found across the five comparison groups for Total Recall and Delayed Recall (p-values < .001). Conclusions: The current study provides normative data and regression-based change scores for the CERAD Word List subtest for older adults.