Controlling for constructional dysfunction with the visual reproduction subtest of the wechsler memory scale-revised in alzheimer's disease

The purpose of the present study was to investigate a method for quantifying the contribution of constructional skills on the Visual Reproduction subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To correct for constructional problems, a proportion score was created by dividing the subtest raw scores from standard administration by the total score obtained for copying the designs. Seventeen patients with probable AD were compared to 17 controls. Using the proportion score, one-way analysis of variance demonstrated that control subjects reproduced significantly more information at both immediate and delayed conditions and retained a greater percentage of information over the delay. The results of this study indicated that patients with AD showed greater visual memory impairment on the Visual Reproduction subtest as compared to control subjects independent of constructional skills.