Objective: The 12-item Buschke memory test is used to assess verbal episodic memory in adults and older adults. However, there is no normative data for this test adjusted to the older Quebec-French population. The aim of the study was to produce normative data for the 12-item Buschke for the Quebec-French population aged 50 and older.
Method: The normative sample consisted of 172 healthy French-speaking participants aged 50-89 years, from the Province of Quebec (Canada). The influence of age, years of formal education, and sex on five 12-item Buschke scores were analyzed. Based on the distribution of scores, normative data were developed as Z-scores equation, regression equation, and percentiles.
Results: Age, years of formal education, and sex were all associated with performance. Equations to calculate Z-scores were provided for the free recall trial 1 and the free recall trials 1-3. Stratified percentiles were provided for the delayed free recall and total recall 1-3.
Conclusions: The normative data for the 12-item Buschke improve the accuracy of clinicians to detect verbal episodic memory impairments in Quebec's aging population.
Keywords: 12-item buschke; Aging; cognitive assessment; episodic memory; normative data.