Predicting biomarkers in intact older adults and those with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, and mild Alzheimer's Disease using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status.

Introduction: The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has been associated, to varying degrees, with commonly used biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Given the ease of RBANS administration as a screening tool for clinical trials and other applications, a better understanding of how RBANS performance is associated with presence of APOE ε4 allele[s], cerebral amyloid burden, and hippocampal volume is warranted.

Method: One hundred twenty-one older adults who were classified as intact, amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, or mild AD underwent cognitive assessment with the RBANS, genetic analysis, and quantitative brain imaging.

Repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status and its relationship to biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.

The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has been associated with commonly used biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, prior studies have typically utilized small and poorly characterized samples, and they have not analyzed the subtests of the RBANS. The current study sought to expand on prior work by examining the relationship between the Indexes and subtest scores of the RBANS and three AD biomarkers: amyloid deposition via positron emission tomography, hippocampal volume via magnetic resonance imaging, and APOE ε4 status.

Computerized Cognitive Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: Computerized cognitive training has been successful in healthy older adults, but its efficacy has been mixed in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel clinical trial, we examined the short- and long-term efficacy of a brain-plasticity computerized cognitive training in 113 participants with amnestic MCI.

Results: Immediately after 40-hours of training, participants in the active control group who played computer games performed better than those in the experimental group on the primary cognitive outcome (p = 0.

Validating 1-Year Reliable Change Methods.

Objective: reliable change methods can assist in the determination of whether observed changes in performance are meaningful. The current study sought to validate previously published 1-year standardized regression-based (SRB) equations for commonly administered neuropsychological measures that incorporated baseline performances, demographics, and 1-week practice effects.

Method: Duff et al.

Recognition subtests for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status: Preliminary data in cognitively intact older adults, amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.

The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has three delayed recall subtests (list, story, figure), but only one delayed recognition subtest (list). Since comparisons between delayed recall and recognition can be useful in clinical neuropsychology, the current study sought to develop and preliminarily examine two proposed new subtests for Form A of the RBANS, Story Recognition and Figure Recognition. A sample of older adults who were cognitively intact (n = 48) or classified with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI, n = 29) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 24) were administered the RBANS and the two new recognition subtests.

Validation of one-year reliable change in the RBANS for community-dwelling older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

The current study sought to externally validate previously published standardized regression-based (SRB) equations for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Indexes administered twice over a one-year period. Hammers and colleagues' SRB prediction equations were applied to two independent samples of community-dwelling older adults with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), including those recruited from the community ( = 64) and those recruited from a memory disorders clinic ( = 58). While Observed Baseline and Observed Follow-up performances were generally comparable for both MCI samples over one year, both samples possessed significantly lower Observed One-Year Follow-up scores than were predicted based on Hammers and colleagues' development sample across many RBANS Indexes.

Validation of one-week reliable change methods in cognitively intact community-dwelling older adults.

Reliable change methods can assist the determination of whether observed changes in performance are meaningful. The current study sought to validate previously published standardized regression-based (SRB) equations for commonly administered cognitive tests using a cognitively intact sample of older adults, and extend findings by including relevant demographic and test-related variables known to predict cognitive performance. Method: This study applied previously published SRB prediction equations to 107 cognitively intact older adults assessed twice over one week.

Generalizability of reliable change equations for the RBANS over one year in community-dwelling older adults.

: Reliable change methods can assist neuropsychologists in determining whether observed changes in a patient's performance are clinically meaningful. The current study sought to validate previously published standardized regression-based (SRB) equations for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Indexes and subtests.: Duff and colleagues's SRB prediction equations, developed from 223 cognitively intact primary care patients, were applied to an independent sample of robustly cognitively intact ( = 129) community-dwelling older adults assessed with the RBANS twice over a one-year period.

Reliable change in cognition over 1 week in community-dwelling older adults: a validation and extension study.

Objective: Reliable change methods can aid neuropsychologists in understanding if performance differences over time represent clinically meaningful change or reflect benefit from practice. The current study sought to externally validate the previously published standardized regression-based (SRB) prediction equations developed by Duff for commonly administered cognitive measures.

Method: This study applied Duff's SRB prediction equations to an independent sample of community-dwelling participants with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) assessed twice over a 1-week period.

Short-term repeat cognitive testing and its relationship to hippocampal volumes in older adults.

Background: Practice effects are improvements in cognitive test scores due to repeated exposure to testing materials. If practice effects provide information about Alzheimer's disease pathology, then they could be useful for clinical trials enrichment. The current study sought to add to the limited literature on short-term practice effects on cognitive tests and their relationship to neuroimaging biomarkers.

External validation of change formulae in neuropsychology with neuroimaging biomarkers: A methodological recommendation and preliminary clinical data.

Objective: Within neuropsychology, a number of mathematical formulae (e.g. reliable change index, standardized regression based) have been used to determine if change across time has reliably occurred.

Predicting Premorbid Scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and their Validation in an Elderly Sample.

Objective: Assessing cognitive change during a single visit requires the comparison of estimated premorbid abilities and current neuropsychological functioning. Although premorbid intellect has been widely examined, premorbid expectations for other cognitive abilities have received less attention. The current study sought to develop and validate premorbid estimates for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).

Amyloid Positivity Using [18F]Flutemetamol-PET and Cognitive Deficits in Nondemented Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Little research exists examining the relationship between beta-amyloid neuritic plaque density via [18F]flutemetamol binding and cognition; consequently, the purpose of the current study was to compare cognitive performances among individuals having either increased amyloid deposition (Flute+) or minimal amyloid deposition (Flute-). Twenty-seven nondemented community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 underwent [18F]flutemetamol amyloid-positron emission tomography imaging, along with cognitive testing using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and select behavioral measures. Analysis of variance was used to identify the differences among the cognitive and behavioral measures between Flute+/Flute- groups.

Relationship between F-Flutemetamol uptake and RBANS performance in non-demented community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) has been used extensively for clinical care and in research for patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, relatively few studies have evaluated the relationship between RBANS performance and AD imaging biomarkers. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the association between a relatively new amyloid positron emission tomography imaging biomarker and performance on the RBANS.

Methods: Twenty-seven nondemented community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 underwent F-Flutemetamol amyloid- positron emission tomography imaging, along with cognitive testing using the RBANS and select behavioral measures.

Short-term practice effects in mild cognitive impairment: Evaluating different methods of change.

Practice effects are improvements on cognitive tests as a result of repeated exposure to testing material. However, variability exists in the literature about whether patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) display practice effects, which may be partially due to the methods used to calculate these changes on repeated tests. The purpose of the current study was to examine multiple methods of assessing short-term practice effects in 58 older adults with MCI.