Validation and Normative Data of a Modified Autobiographical Interview for Use in Taiwanese Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Preliminary Study.

OBJECTIVE

Autobiographical memory (AM) refers to the recollection of events in an individual's life. AM deficits have been associated with brain disorders, such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Researchers have developed interview protocols to assess AM deficits. We aimed to validate a modified version of the Autobiographical Interview (mAI) among Taiwanese patients with TLE.

METHODS

A normative reference sample of 100 healthy individuals was established to model age- and education-adjusted performance. From this group, 38 individuals were matched to TLE patients to validate discriminative ability.

RESULTS

The mAI demonstrated high interrater reliability. Retrieval of episodic AM from childhood was associated with linguistic ability. Retrieval of episodic AM from adolescence involved both arbitrary and meaningful associations. Retrieval of episodic AM from recent life was not dependent on arbitrary associations. Age was negatively associated with episodic AM retrieval, whereas educational level was positively associated.

CONCLUSIONS

TLE patients displayed deficits in episodic AM retrieval from adolescence while AM retrieval from childhood and recent life was preserved. These results support the validity of the mAI as a tool for assessing AM deficits in TLE patients.