Influence of age and education on the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT) among healthy elderly

Memory is a cognitive domain extensively evaluated in the neuropsychiatric setting. Assessment tools with appropriate norms for age and educational level are necessary for the proper interpretation of results.

To present normative data for older adults stratified by age and education for the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT). The effect of age and education on the total and sub-test scores was also analyzed.

A cross-sectional study involving a sample of 233 healthy elderly from a third-age group in Porto Alegre with an average age of 70 (SD 7.9) years and 10.7 (SD 4.8) years of education was carried out. The RBMT is considered an ecologically valid memory test, since it includes tasks similar to everyday situations. The sample was stratified into the following age groups: 60-69 years, 70-79 years and > 80 years. The sample was also divided into individuals with < 8 years and ≥ 8 years of education. Pearson's Chi-squared test and Spearman correlations were used.

The elderly participants with low educational level had worse performance on all sub-tests, except the Pictures, Messages, Belongings and Orientation. Older elderly performed worse for total RBMT score and on the Face Recognition, Immediate and Delayed Route, Messages and Belongings subtests (p ≤ 0.005).

Education and age significantly influenced RBMT scores. Therefore, norms for this test should be stratified according to these factors.