Abstract
Objective
The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status is a commonly used screen of neuropsychological performance (RBANS). A 5-factor structure is used when scoring this measure, revealing 5 composite scores that are used in clinical diagnosis (Immediate Memory; Visuospatial/Constructional; Language; Attention; Delayed Memory). This structure has been supported in a sample of older adults with cognitive impairment. However, a 5-factor structure has not been consistently observed. Rather, in a sample of veterans, a 2-factor solution was noted, as was in a large exploration of past RBANS studies. We explored the factor structure of the RBANS in a sample of patients with Huntington’s Disease (HD).
Method
Participants were 147 patients with HD who presented to an outpatient HD clinic at UConn Health Center, Mage = 46.75, SD = 13.35; Meducation = 13.87, SD = 2.63.
Results
Exploratory principal component factor analysis with direct Oblimin rotation was conducted. A 2-component structure was found with eigenvalues > 1 (65.1% variance). Contrary to expectations from other clinical samples, we did not find the traditional 5-factor solution. Rather, results revealed a 2-factor solution. Factor loadings generally are comprised of visually-loaded (Figure Copy, Line Orientation, Picture Naming, Figure Recall) versus non-visually-loaded tasks.
Conclusions
Results revealed a 2-factor structure of the RBANS in a sample of patients with HD, contrary to the traditional 5-factor solution typically derived into composite scores with this measure. Our findings suggest that HD patients may not perform on the RBANS in a traditional manner. Thus, clinicians evaluating HD patients should exercise caution when using composite scores when considering patient performance on this measure.