Systematic review of Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test with Immediate Recall (FCSRT-IR) studies: normative data, clinical validity, and correlations with biomarkers

The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test with Immediate Recall (FCSRT-IR), developed by Grober and Buschke, is widely used to assess episodic memory and detect impairments, particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recommended by the International Working Group (IWG) for early diagnosis, no prior review has synthesized its findings. This study reviewed articles on norms, clinical validity, and correlations with neuropathological biomarkers. Sixty-four studies were selected out of 728, covering normative data, clinical validation, and biomarker associations. The FCSRT-IR has normative data from seven countries and shows high diagnostic accuracy for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, especially AD. In 20 studies, test scores significantly correlated with AD biomarkers. Thus, the FCSRT-IR supports early identification of episodic memory deficits, proving to be a valuable neuropsychological assessment tool.