Alphanumeric sequencing and cognitive impairment among elderly persons.

Alphanumeric Sequencing involves the alternating recitation of counting and the alphabet. We report data on the use of this measure among 112 VA patients ranging in age from 61 to 100 years who were administered the Alphanumeric Sequencing, Trail Making Test, Digits Forward and Backward, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale. Persons who obtained scores < 27 on the Mini-Mental State Examination or < 14 on the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale performed significantly more poorly than those who scored higher. Both the time and errors were correlated (.11 to -.49) with measures of information processing and short-term memory.