title: Diagnostic accuracy of the RBANS in mild cognitive impairment: limitations on assessing milder impairments.
abstract: The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has demonstrated adequate sensitivity in detecting cognitive impairment in a number of neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. However, its ability to detect milder cognitive deficits in the elderly has not been examined. The current study examined the clinical utility of the RBANS by comparing two groups: Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI; n = 72) and cognitively intact peers (n = 71). Significant differences were observed on the RBANS Total score, 3 of the 5 Indexes, and 6 of the 12 subtests, with individuals with MCI performing worse than the comparison participants. Specificity was very good, but sensitivity ranged from poor to moderate. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the RBANS Immediate and Delayed Memory Indexes and the Total Scale score were adequate. Although significant differences were observed between groups and the areas under the curves were adequate, the lower sensitivity values of the RBANS suggests that caution should be used when diagnosing conditions such as MCI.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. kevin.duff@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duff
authors.forename: Valerie L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Hobson
authors.forename: Leigh J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Beglinger
authors.forename: Sid E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: O'Bryant
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity