Impact of age on drawing the Rey-Osterrieth figure

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if performance (copy, immediate, and 30-min recall) on the Rey-Osterrieth Figure deteriorates after age 70 and, if so, if it deteriorates differentially for the three conditions. Accuracy and approach to the drawing were scored in three age groups of healthy elderly subjects (ages 70 to 74, 75 to 79, 80 to 91 years). Accuracy decreased somewhat with age in all three conditions, but there was no significant age by condition effect, suggesting that aging did not affect one condition (process) more than another. Use of a configural approach was associated with greater accuracy, but approach did not vary as a function of age. These results support the notion that aging produces mild deterioration at every level of processing of the Rey-Osterrieth Figure.