assessing the aging effect on auditory-verbal memory by persian version of dichotic auditory verbal memory test

Background and Aim: Memory is one of the aspects of cognitive function which is widely affected among aged people. Since aging has different effects on different memorial systems and little studies have investigated auditory-verbal memory function in older adults using dichotic listening techniques, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the auditory-verbal memory function among old people using Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test. Methods: The Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test was administered to 23 old people ranging 60-80 years and 30 young people aging 20-30 years, with normal and symmetric hearing in both ears. The performance of the two groups was compared. Results: The mean score of young (6.36±0.43) and old (4.58±0.74) adults on dichotic auditory-verbal memory test were significantly difference (p=0.001). The correlation test showed a negative correlation between age and the memory scores in aged people (r=0.36). A significant difference in recall of early (p=0.034), middle (p=0.037), and final (p=0.041) words was seen between aged and young people. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, significant reduction in auditory memory was seen in aged group and the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test, like many other auditory verbal memory tests, showed the aging effects on auditory verbal memory performance.