A-177 Relationship Between Family Members’ Subjective Ratings of Memory Decline and Objective Neuropsychological Test Performance

Abstract

Objective In cognitive domains such as memory, decline can manifest in several ways. The current study investigated how different memory changes reported by family members on a behavior rating scale were related to neuropsychological test performance. The study also examined if reported memory problems reflected memory impairment specifically, versus general cognitive dysfunction. Method Patients (n = 87, mean age = 73.0, mean education = 13.1 years) minimally completed the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) during dementia evaluations. Information from patients’ family members was obtained via a questionnaire asking about degrees of perceived change (no change, mild change, moderate change, or severe change) in “remembering conversations,” “repeating self,” and “misplacing items.” Spearman correlations were calculated between family members’ perceptions of change and cognitive dysfunction, measured by RBANS index scores. Results Perceived changes in misplacing items significantly correlated with RBANS Immediate Memory (rs = −.291, p = .008) and Delayed Memory (rs = −.261, p = .018) indices. The only other correlations that approached statistical significance were between remembering conversations and Immediate Memory (rs = −.209, p = .052) and repeating self and Delayed Memory (rs = −.208, p = .056). No correlations with other RBANS index scores approached statistical significance at p < .05. Conclusions While not all results were statistically significant, trends among correlations between RBANS index scores and family-reported changes in patients remembering conversations, repeating themselves, and misplacing items suggest that when these terms are utilized on behavior rating scales, they possess both convergent and discriminant validity. Since misplacing items significantly correlated with both immediate and delayed memory dysfunction, changes in this area might be the most useful to assess on behavior rating scales.