Premorbid Memory Prediction Using the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading

Event Name/Location

28th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology

Event Location / Date(s)

New York, NY / October 21-25, 2008

Presentation Date

10-21-2008

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Presenter(s)/Author(s)

Allison Myers
A. Kuemmel
L. J. Miller
Wiley Mittenberg, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Description

Abstract

Objective: The Wechsler Test of Adult Reading predicts WMS-III Memory Indexes using a combination of reading vocabulary and demographic information. This study validatedWTAR premorbid memory estimates in a sample of 100 TBI patients with mild (n = 32), moderate (n = 16), or severe (n = 52) injuries.

Data selection: Patients completed the WTAR and WMS-III an average of 1.5 (mild), 2.8 (moderate), or 3.2 (severe) years postinjury. They received $50 for participation, were not seeking compensation for injuries, and showed valid performances on the Word Memory Test.

Data synthesis: Mild TBI patients obtained Immediate (M= 93.2) and General (M= 95.8) Indexes that did not differ significantly from WTAR premorbid estimates (96.9 and 98.1, respectively). Moderate patients showed significant estimated declines of 14.8 and 13.3 points in obtained Immediate (M= 79.4) and General (M= 81.9) Indexes. Severe injuries produced estimated residual reductions of 20.9 and 20.5 points in Immediate (M= 71.4) and General (M= 72.9) Memory. Length of unconsciousness significantly predicted extent of estimated Immediate (r = 0.35) and General (r = 0.38) memory decline in the aggregate sample. Premorbid Immediate (r = 0.08) and General (r = 0.09) memory scores were not significantly related to length of unconsciousness.

Conclusions: Results are consistent with studies that show an absence of memory impairment after recovery from MHI but significant impairment after more severe TBI. A combination of demographic information and word reading predictors attenuates the sensitivity of premorbid estimates to injury severity or cognitive impairment.

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NSUWorks Citation

Myers, A., Kuemmel, A., Miller, L. J., Mittenberg, W. (2008). Premorbid Memory Prediction Using the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading. 28th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facpresentations/1584