Paced auditory serial addition test: National normative data.

OBJECTIVES

The presence and monitoring of cognitive impairment is frequently overlooked in a disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS), which has the potential to affect the physical, social, and socioeconomic lives of individuals in early adulthood. The purpose of this study was to establish Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) normative data for the healthy Turkish population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Three hundred eighty-five healthy volunteers were enrolled. Thirty-two subgroups were established, comprising four age groups (18-25, 26-35, 36-45, and 46-55), four education groups (5 years of education, 8 years, 11 years and 15 years) and two gender groups (male and female). The PASAT test was applied to the entire study group.

RESULTS

PASAT score decreased with age, although the difference between the age groups did not achieve statistical significance. Very strong significant correlation was determined between education level and PASAT performance. PASAT scores increased with the number of years of education.

CONCLUSION

This study provides normal PASAT values in the Turkish population on the basis of age, gender, and level of education. These data can be used as control values in clinical practice.