Premorbid intellect and current RBANS performance: discrepancy scores in three geriatric samples.

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• Assessing cognitive change necessitates comparing estimated premorbid abilities with current neuropsychological functioning.
• Evaluating new cognitive assessment tools requires understanding their relationship with premorbid estimates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the clinical utility of discrepancy scores between estimated premorbid intellect (Barona) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Total score.
• To assess these discrepancy scores in geriatric samples, including a community-dwelling control group and two clinical groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized demographic variables to estimate premorbid intellect using the Barona method.
• Administered the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) to assess current cognitive functioning.
• Calculated discrepancy scores between estimated premorbid intellect and RBANS scores (Total and Index) across three geriatric samples.

Main Results:

• Little difference was found between estimated premorbid intellect and RBANS Total scores in the community-dwelling sample.
• Significant differences were observed between estimated premorbid intellect and RBANS Total scores in the two clinical geriatric samples.
• Similar patterns were noted for discrepancy scores derived from the five RBANS Indexes.

Conclusions:

• Discrepancy scores between estimated premorbid intellect and RBANS performance are clinically useful for identifying cognitive decline in geriatric populations.
• Normative data on these discrepancy scores can enhance clinician and researcher confidence in detecting cognitive decline.
• The findings support the use of RBANS in conjunction with premorbid estimates for screening neuropsychological status.