Screening for Executive Dysfunction with the Frontal Assessment Battery: Psychometric Properties Analysis and Representative Normative Data for Brazilian Older Adults

Resumo

Introduction: The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a for the assessment of executive functions. We investigated its validity and reliability and
proposed normative data in a representative sample of older adults. Method: 391 healthy elderly subjects and 93 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients
performed the FAB. Internal consistency, convergent correlations, ROC curve and logistic regression were used to assess its psychometric properties.
Results: We found good internal consistency, significant correlations with other tests and moderate accuracy (64%) for AD diagnosis. The use
of specific subtests increased diagnostic potential (75%). Normative data stratified by age and education were proposed. Conclusion: The FAB
showed adequate psychometric properties. The normative values stratified by age and education can improve its clinical use for neuropsychological
assessment.