Memory Evaluation In Alzheimers-disease - Caregivers Appraisals And Objective Testing

Title

Memory Evaluation In Alzheimers-disease - Caregivers Appraisals And Objective Testing

Creator

Koss E; Patterson M B; Ownby R; Stuckey J C; Whitehouse P J

Publisher

Archives of Neurology

Date

1993
1993-01

Description

Objectives.-To evaluate if caregivers are reliable informants concerning memory deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Design.-Responses of caregivers of patients with probable AD and responses of healthy control subjects on a standardized memory questionnaire were compared with objective measures of cognition (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery) and with clinical estimates of activities of daily living, depression, and psychopathology (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease [CERAD] clinical assessment battery) using the Self-report Memory Questionnaire. Setting.-A federally funded AD research center. Subjects.-The referred sample included 117 patients with probable AD, their informants, and 41 healthy control subjects age-matched to the patients. Patients and control subjects were between the ages of 58 and 85 years, had between 9 and 19 years of education, and were in good health. Exclusions.-Patients who did not meet NINCDS-ADRDA criteria of probable AD. Main Outcome Measure.-The optimal number of questionnaire items yielding the best combination of sensitivity and specificity. Results.-An abbreviated version of the scale, renamed the Short-Memory Questionnaire, had excellent specificity and sensitivity for identifying dementia. Positive and negative predictive values were 63.5% and near 100%, respectively. The Short-Memory Questionnaire showed good reliability, internal consistency, and external validity. Caregiver appraisals of memory deficits significantly correlated with objective measures of memory and also with generalized cognitive dysfunction. Conclusions.-Caregivers of patients with AD are reliable informants of their relatives' deficits. The Short-Memory Questionnaire is an easily administered, informant-based scale that may be useful in clinical settings or epidemiologic studies to screen out persons with memory difficulties.

Subject

adulthood; cerad; complaints; consortium; dementia; establish; neuropsychological assessment; Neurosciences & Neurology; questionnaires; rating-scale; relatives

Format

Journal Article or Conference Abstract Publication

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Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Pages

92-97

Issue

1

Volume

50

Citation

Koss E; Patterson M B; Ownby R; Stuckey J C; Whitehouse P J, “Memory Evaluation In Alzheimers-disease - Caregivers Appraisals And Objective Testing,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed October 9, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/10548.