Frontal Assessment Battery
Also known as: FAB, Frontal Battery
The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a brief, clinician-administered neuropsychological battery designed to assess frontal lobe function and executive abilities at the bedside. Developed by Dubois and colleagues at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris in 2000, the FAB consists of six subtests measuring conceptualization, mental flexibility, motor planning, inhibitory control, and verbal fluency. The FAB is particularly sensitive to frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease with cognitive decline, and other conditions affecting prefrontal function.
Key highlights
- Bedside practicality — requires only 10 minutes and minimal materials; no complex equipment.
- Multidimensional assessment — samples distinct frontal functions (planning, flexibility, inhibition, conceptualization), not just a single executive process.
- High sensitivity to frontotemporal dementia — FAB performance distinguishes frontotemporal dementia from Alzheimer's disease better than global cognitive screening tools.
- Internationally validated — translated into 20+ languages with published norms across diverse populations.
Intuition
This section is available to Pro members. Upgrade to Pro
How it works
This section is available to Pro members. Upgrade to Pro
When to use it
The FAB is indicated for bedside screening of executive function and frontal pathology in patients with suspected neurodegenerative disease (particularly frontotemporal dementia or Parkinson's disease), stroke affecting prefrontal regions, traumatic brain injury, or behavioral or personality changes suggesting frontal lobe dysfunction. The FAB is NOT diagnostic and should be integrated with imaging, clinical assessment, and other neuropsychological tests. The FAB is particularly useful in busy clinical settings due to its brevity and minimal equipment needs.
Strengths & limitations
- Bedside practicality — requires only 10 minutes and minimal materials; no complex equipment.
- Multidimensional assessment — samples distinct frontal functions (planning, flexibility, inhibition, conceptualization), not just a single executive process.
- High sensitivity to frontotemporal dementia — FAB performance distinguishes frontotemporal dementia from Alzheimer's disease better than global cognitive screening tools.
- Internationally validated — translated into 20+ languages with published norms across diverse populations.
- Limited sensitivity to mild frontal impairment — may not detect subtle executive dysfunction; more sensitive to moderate-to-severe frontal pathology.
- Dependent on language and verbal ability — several subtests require verbal responses; aphasia or language difficulty can confound interpretation.
- Not specific to frontal pathology — impaired FAB can arise from subcortical damage (e.g., striatum in Parkinson's disease), diffuse pathology, or attention/motivation problems.
- Age and education effects — moderate correlations with age and education; norms should be consulted.
Common pitfalls
This section is available to Pro members. Upgrade to Pro
Applications
This section is available to Pro members. Upgrade to Pro
Frequently asked
What should I do if a patient cannot perform the motor subtests (motor programming, inhibitory control) due to paresis?
Motor limitations confound interpretation of motor subtests. Document the motor deficit and interpret only the non-motor FAB items (conceptualization, flexibility, environmental autonomy). Consider alternative executive measures less dependent on motor performance (e.g., Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Category fluency) if full assessment is needed.
Is the FAB useful for detecting cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease?
The FAB is less sensitive to Alzheimer's pathology than to frontal pathology. Alzheimer's disease typically spares frontal function relatively early (memory and temporal dysfunction predominate), so FAB may be relatively normal despite significant overall cognitive impairment. The FAB is better suited to frontotemporal dementia screening. Use the MMSE or ADAS-Cog for Alzheimer's assessment.
What does an uneven FAB pattern indicate?
An uneven pattern (e.g., normal conceptualization but very low motor programming) suggests localized frontal pathology affecting specific motor-planning regions. In contrast, a uniformly low FAB suggests more global executive dysfunction or diffuse brain pathology. Individual subtest patterns can provide localization clues.
Can the FAB be administered remotely by videoconference?
Remote administration is feasible but reduces reliability, particularly for motor and sensitive-to-interference items that require precise observation. If videoconference administration is necessary, ensure high video quality, clear audio, and document the limitation. In-person administration is preferred.
Sources
- 1.Dubois, B., Slachevsky, A., Litvan, I., & Pillon, B. (2000). The FAB: A Frontal Assessment Battery at bedside. Neurology, 55(11), 1621-1626.
- 2.Slachevsky, A., Litvan, I., Marsiske, M., & Dubois, B. (2004). The FAB: A Frontal Assessment Battery at bedside for dementia and neurological conditions. In Dementia (pp. 123-146). Springer Publishing.
- 3.Cummings, J. L., & Mega, M. (1994). Neuropsychiatry and behavioral neuroscience. Oxford University Press.
You have read it. What now?
Cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Frontal Assessment Battery. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/neuropsychology/frontal-assessment-battery