Identifying functional impairment with scores from the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the link between RBANS scores and functional impairment. Functional status was evaluated through informant report using the clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale.


METHODS
Archival data were reviewed from records of 99 patients in a memory disorder clinic (MDC) research database. Consensus-based diagnoses were Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 48), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 48), AD with vascular components; (n = 2) and dementia due to psychiatric conditions (n = 1).


RESULTS
The RBANS language index score was significantly related to CDR domain scores of community affairs (p < .01), home and hobbies (p < .01), personal care (p < .05), memory (p < 0.01), and judgment (p < 0.01). RBANS immediate memory index scores were significantly related to (p < 0.05) the CDR Memory and judgment and problem solving domains. Based on these findings, follow-up regressions were conducted. Semantic fluency was significantly related to CDR memory (p < 0.01), judgment (p < 0.05), community affairs (p < 0.05), home/hobbies (p < 0.05), and personal care (p < 0.05) functional domains. Picture naming was significantly related to the CDR personal care domain (p < 0.05). List learning was significantly related to CDR memory functional domain (p < 0.01) and judgment (p < 0.05). Lastly, story memory was significantly related to the CDR judgment domain (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The RBANS may be an indicator of functional impairment as well as a neuropsychological testing tool. The use of the RBANS could reduce the amount of testing that is administered to the patient, or can provide a way to compare other measurements of functional impairment to assess accuracy of findings.
Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Valerie L
VL
Hobson
James R
JR
Hall
Joy D
JD
Humphreys-Clark
Gregory W
GW
Schrimsher
Sid E
SE
O'Bryant
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards