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P4‐087: A comparison of Neuropsychological Test Battery (NTB) and ADAS‐cog performance in an Alzheimer's disease clinical trial
Author(s) -
Black Ronald S.,
Harrison John,
Li David,
Yang Lingfeng,
Booth Kevin,
Barlas Suna
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2009.04.856
Subject(s) - placebo , neuropsychological test , neuropsychology , cognitive decline , audiology , cognition , alzheimer's disease , psychology , medicine , dementia , psychiatry , disease , pathology , alternative medicine
Background: It has been suggested that the ADAS-Cog is not uniformly sensitive to measuring cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease across mild and moderate patients. As a result, the NTB (neuropsychological test battery) was introduced as an alternative which measures cognitive decline in both mild and moderate patients equally well (Harrison et al, Arch Neurol 64:1323-9, 2007). Methods: The psychometric properties of NTB are examined in two randomized, double-blind trials; one 12-week placeboand active-controlled (w 350 patients) and the other 24-week placebo-controlled (w 330). The test-retest reliability, ratio of within subject variability to between subject variability, and internal consistency of NTB in addition to correlation of NTB with other cognitive and functional measures are evaluated using data from the placebo patients. The sensitivities of NTB and ADAS-Cog are assessed as a function of baseline MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) scores using data from the active and the placebo arms. Results: It is confirmed that the NTB has good psychometric properties. Although the NTB and ADAS-Cog are equally sensitive in detecting change in the overall population, differences are observed when stratified by baseline MMSE scores. While the NTB is more sensitive than ADAS-Cog among the mild patients, the reverse is observed among the moderate patients. Conclusions: The NTB has good psychometric properties. Based on two studies of relatively short duration, both the NTB and ADAS-Cog are shown to be good instruments for detecting drug effects on cognitive decline among AD patients. The sensitivity of these instruments needs to be evaluated in validation studies of longer duration.