Contributo de um teste de faces famosas para a avaliação cognitiva

Introduction: Difficulty in proper name retrieval is a frequent cognitive complaint in the eldery and may represent an early stage of cognitive decline. Aim: To study the contribution of a Famous Faces Test specifically designed for the Portuguese population in the diagnosis of cognitive decline, and the effect of age and education on the performance in this test. Method: A brief version of the Famous Faces Test, consisting of 39 pictures of famous faces pertaining to three different epochs, was applied to 468 healthy subjects, (64.1% women, mean age and education of 66.44 ± 8.94 and 7 years, respectively) and to a group of 48 patients diagnosed with, among others, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Results: The brief version of the Famous Faces Test showed good psychometric properties. A marked positive and negative effect was found on this test for education and age respectively, and normative data was given accordingly. In the clinical group this test had a good specificity but was not sensitive for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Conclusion: Despite low sensitivity to mild cognitive impairment and dementia, this test showed to be useful for neuropsychological evaluation due to its ease of application and good psychometric properties as well as specificity.