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

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:

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

Acknowledgment/disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work. We thank Pearson Assessment B.V., Amsterdam, for providing the RBMT-3 test materials and for authorizing the Dutch translation.