Geriatric Psychiatry Research Program

What are the procedures and tests of the MERI?

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Participants in the MERI are asked to sign an Informed Consent, after which vitals are taken and blood is drawn.  They are then administered a neuropsychological test battery (NTB), which includes tests of memory and general cognitive function, each of which is rated according to age-appropriate normative data. The normative data allows us to determine whether a particular individual’s performance is within normal range for his or her age. After the testing, patients undergo comprehensive medical evaluation. This involves obtaining psychiatric and medical history, as well as a review of medications (some can have deleterious effects on memory). Finally, a psychiatric evaluation is conducted by Dr. Pomara to discuss complaints with patients and make recommendations.

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Neuropsychological test sections administered include:

General Intellectual Function

This section includes summaries for tests that are commonly used to provide a broad evaluation of cognitive functioning, including tests of time, location, object identification, memory, and language abilities. For example, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE): a brief test of global cognitive functioning.

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Verbal Memory

This section includes the summaries for performance on the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), a word list memory task.

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Psychomotor Functions

This section includes summaries of tests designed to measure the coordination between thinking and hand movements. These tests range in complexity from finger taps to drawing lines following a particular sequence of numbers and letters.

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Other Assessments

Other assessments include tests that measure the ability to name pictures of objects, speed and flexibility of verbal thought processes and other self-assessment scales and questionnaires.​

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**This study includes annual re-evaluations following the initial visit in which psychometric tests are repeated**