Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2013;9:875-81. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S44973. Epub 2013 Jun 21.

Applicability of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test - Third Edition (RBMT-3) in Korsakoff's syndrome and chronic alcoholics.

Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment

Arie J Wester, Judith C van Herten, Jos Im Egger, Roy Pc Kessels

PMID: 23818787 PMCID: PMC3693815 DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S44973

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine the applicability of the newly developed Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test - Third Edition (RBMT-3) as an ecologically-valid memory test in patients with alcohol-related cognitive disorders.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: An authorized Dutch translation of the RBMT-3 was developed, equivalent to the UK version, and administered to a total of 151 participants - 49 patients with amnesia due to alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome, 49 patients with cognitive impairment and a history of chronic alcoholism, not fulfilling the Korsakoff criteria, and 53 healthy controls. Between-group comparisons were made at subtest level, and the test's diagnostic accuracy was determined.

RESULTS: Korsakoff patients performed worse than controls on all RBMT-3 subtests (all P-values < 0.0005). The alcoholism group performed worse than controls on most (all P-values < 0.02), but not all RBMT-3 subtests. Largest effects were found between the Korsakoff patients and the controls after delayed testing. The RBMT-3 had good sensitivity and adequate specificity.

CONCLUSION: The RBMT-3 is a valid test battery to demonstrate everyday memory deficits in Korsakoff patients and non-Korsakoff patients with alcohol abuse disorder. Korsakoff patients showed an impaired performance on subtests relying on orientation, contextual memory and delayed testing. Our findings provide valuable information for treatment planning and adjustment in patients with alcohol-related cognitive impairments.

Keywords: Korsakoff’s syndrome; alcohol-induced persisting amnestic disorder; ecological validity; episodic memory; neuropsychological assessment; treatment outcome

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