The visual reproduction subtest as a measure of visual perceptual/constructional functioning in dementia of the Alzheimer's type

Interpretation of performance on the Visual Reproduction (VR) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R; Wechsler, 1987) is potentially confounded by visual perceptual or constructional problems. In order to assess this potential confound, this study examined the performance of patients with Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (DAT), patients with right frontal-lobe lesions, and normal elderly controls in terms of ability to accurately match and copy the VR designs. Patients with DAT were significantly worse at matching and copying the designs relative to the two comparison groups. The results suggest that caution is warranted when interpreting the VR subtest as a measure of memory functioning in patients with DAT.