title: Psychometric Properties of the Memory Binding Test: Test-Retest Reliability and Convergent Validity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Episodic memory testing is fundamental for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is widely used for this purpose, it may not be sensitive enough for early detection of subtle decline in preclinical AD. The Memory Binding Test (MBT) intends to overcome this limitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the test-retest reliability of the MBT and its convergent validity with the FCRST.
  
  
  METHODS
  36 cognitively healthy participants of the ALFA Study, aged 45 to 65, were included for the test-retest study and 69 for the convergent analysis. They were visited twice in a period of 6 ± 2 weeks. Test-retest reliability was determined by the calculation of the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Score differences were studied by computing the mean percentage of score variation between visits and visualized by Bland-Altman plots. Convergent validity was determined by Pearson's correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICC values in the test-retest reliability analysis of the MBT direct scores ranged from 0.64 to 0.76. Subjects showed consistent practice effects, with mean amounts of score increasing between 10% and 26%. Pearson correlation between MBT and FCSRT direct scores showed r values between 0.40 and 0.53. The FCSRT displayed ceiling effects not observed in the MBT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MBT shows adequate test-retest reliability and overall moderate convergent validity with the FCSRT. Unlike the FCSRT, the MBT does not have ceiling effects and it may therefore be especially useful in longitudinal studies, facilitating the measurement of subtle memory performance decline and the detection of very early AD.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Program, Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gramunt
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Program, Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Benavides
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buschke
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lipton
authors.affiliation: SAIL Statistics, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Masramon
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Program, Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gispert
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Neurology, Service of Neurology, Hospital del Mar, Parc Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peña-Casanova
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Program, Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fauria
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Program, Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Molinuevo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; early diagnosis; episodic memory; memory assessment; preclinical; psychometrics; reliability; validity