Word and Picture Version of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT): Is There Any Difference?

The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is the most commonly used neuropsychological test to evaluate episodic memory. Two variants of FCSRT exist, using the recall of words (FCSRT-w) or pictures (FCSRT-p). Fourteen patients with mild cognitive impairment underwent neuropsychological evaluation and brain magnetic resonance. We found differences in FCSRT-w and FCSRT-p variants scores. FCSRT-p was correlated with atrophy in areas involved in visual stimuli processing while FCSRT-w was correlated to hippocampal atrophy. Our study suggests that FCSRT-w and FCSRT-p scores are not equivalent, but a larger cohort of patients is needed to validate these results.