Pauline Spaan receives Cermak Award
Last month UvA neuropsychologist Pauline Spaan (Psychonomics Programme Group) received the Cermak Award in recognition of her research on memory problems among very old people. The prize was awarded by the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), the leading scientific association for neuropsychologists.
Last month UvA neuropsychologist Pauline Spaan (Psychonomics Programme Group) received the Cermak Award in recognition of her research on memory problems among very old people. The prize was awarded by the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), the leading scientific association for neuropsychologists.The award, presented at the INS conference in Helsinki, came as a surprise to Spaan. ‘To be perfectly honest, I was already glad that the conference had accepted my presentation; unlike my other research projects, the study focuses on normal ageing processes rather than dementia. I thought they might not find the theme as relevant as pathological ageing or brain damage.'
As it turned out, nothing could have been further from the truth. Conference organisers were so impressed by the study that Spaan was awarded the Laird S. Cermak Award for best research project in the field of memory. Spaan suspects the jury was swayed by the way in which her study links theory and practice while applying complex methodology.
Two components
Spaan's research examined whether memory problems in the elderly are caused by the degeneration of memory itself or the degeneration of attentiveness functions such as the speed with which information is processed or the deterioration of executive functions. Her study distinguished between two components of human memory: the episodic memory (tested by providing cues to lists of words shown to the trial subjects in advance) and the semantic memory (tested by activating the trial subjects' own vocabulary). Spaan tested 234 elderly trial subjects, with ages varying from 55 to 96.Accurate diagnoses
The study revealed that - in normal ageing - both types of memory loss are caused by the ageing-related loss of attentiveness functions rather than the degeneration of memory itself. ‘As it turns out, the elderly are perfectly capable of retrieving information from their memory, as long as they are given enough time to do so, or more structure and cues.'Spaan, who also works as a neuropsychologist/healthcare psychologist at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis hospital in Amsterdam, claims current standard neuropsychological tests are too easily influenced by other factors, especially when administered to subjects of very advanced age. ‘If people aren't performing properly, this tends to be interpreted as a problem relating to the memory or attentiveness. However, older test subjects may simply need a little more time or structure, or be suffering from impaired motor skills. This last factor may be the result of physical ailments such as diabetes or rheumatism, rather than brain diseases such as dementia. Both ailments are very common in the elderly. As a result, this group tends to be inappropriately diagnosed with forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. The study can thus contribute to a better understanding of the normal ageing process, and help improve the accuracy of diagnoses.
Author: Esther van Bochove, FMG Communication department