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Abstract More realistic assessment tools are imperative for a better understanding of the impact of age-related cognitive deficits on functional status. With this in mind, we probed the ability of the EcoKitchen, a non-immersive virtual environment task with increasing executively demanding kitchen chores, to detect the effects of aging on the simulated everyday functioning of healthy adults. Fifty-three adults (age between 23 and 77 years) were assessed with the EcoKitchen and a set of conventional paper-and-pencil neuropsychological tests. The associations between the baseline features of study participants and each of the two different assessment methods were examined. The associations between the EcoKitchen variables and an executive composite score were also explored. Our results showed that older individuals present deficits in the performance of both the EcoKitchen task and standard assessment methods. Notably, we found that, unlike conventional tests, accuracy in the EcoKitchen task was not related to the education level and IQ score of participants. Moreover, the EcoKitchen performance time was significantly correlated with executive tests. We have demonstrated that the EcoKitchen task, an ecologically relevant computerized neuropsychological assessment tool, might be more suitable than classic paper-and-pencil tests to capture the impact of aging on everyday cognitive function, as it proved to be less prone to the influence of confounding factors. Additionally, we have shown that executive function plays an important role in the timely performance of cognitively challenging virtual environment tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature lacks information on the performance of patients with brain tumors on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales. This study aimed to explore the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) performance profile of 23 consecutive patients with brain tumors and 23 matched controls selected from the Portuguese WAIS-III standardization sample, using the technical manual steps recommended for score interpretation. The control group was demographically matched to the tumor group regarding gender, age, education, profession, and geographic region. The technical manual steps recommended for score interpretation were applied. Patients with brain tumors had significantly lower performances on the Performance IQ, Full-Scale IQ, Perceptual Organization Index, Working Memory Index, Processing Speed Index, Arithmetic, Object Assembly, and Picture Arrangement, though all scaled scores were within the normal range according to the manual tables. Only Vocabulary and Comprehension scatter scores were statistically different between groups. No strengths or weaknesses were found for either group. The mean discrepancy scores do not appear to have clinical value for this population. In conclusion, the study results did not reveal a specific profile for patients with brain tumors on the WAIS-III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most broadly used cognitive screening instrument in clinical and research contexts. The MMSE was administered to a community-based sample of cognitively healthy adults (n = 850), stratified according to several sociodemographic variables, with a distribution similar to that observed in the Portuguese population. This study aimed to analyze the influence of sociodemographic (age, gender, education level, marital and employment status, geographic region, geographic localization, and residence area) and health variables (subjective memory complaints of the participant and evaluated by the informant, depressive symptoms, and family history of dementia) on the participants’ performance on the MMSE and to establish normative data for the Portuguese population. Education level and age significantly contributed to the prediction of the MMSE scores and explained 26% of its variance. Regarding health variables, only the subjective memory complaints of the participant showed a small contribution (4%) to the variance of the MMSE scores. According to these results, age and education were considered in the development of the normative data of the MMSE for the Portuguese population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract Objective Method Results Conclusions This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the two forms (self-report and informant) of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version (BRIEF-A) in a sample of healthy Portuguese adults.The participants were 608 adults, 304 of whom answered the self-report form (ages 18–59; 137 male and 167 female) and 304 who answered the informant form (ages 18–70; 110 male and 194 female).The internal consistency for the indexes and the Global Executive Composite was very good (≥.90), whereas for the scales they were either acceptable (between .70 and .80) or good (≥.80), except for the Inhibit scale in both forms. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test seven competing factor models for each of the forms. The original two-factor model (Behavioral Regulation and Metacognition Indexes) showed a slightly better model fit than the three-factor model (Behavioral Regulation, Emotional Regulation, and Metacognition Indexes) in both forms. The multiple-group analysis of the two-correlated-factor model across forms was supported (configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance).Overall, the BRIEF-A showed adequate psychometric properties, suggesting that it is a useful instrument to assess everyday executive functioning in healthy Portuguese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Toulouse-Piéron Cancelation Test (TP) is a classic psychometric tool for the assessment of selective/sustained attention, processing speed and visuo-perceptual abilities. It is commonly used in neurological disorders such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's disease. It encompasses two main indexes: Work-Efficiency (WE) and Dispersion-Index (DI). The aim of this study is to provide normative scores for the TP in a sample of Portuguese healthy adults. The TP was administered to a convenience sample of 357 cognitively-dwelling subjects aged between [45 and 86] years old, following a standard assessment protocol. The normative scores were adjusted for age and education. Education was the main predictor of TP-WE (R2 =.310), whereas the influence of age on this score was lower (R2 =.191). These two variables explained 50.1% of the variance of the results. Regarding TP-DI, education was also the main predictor of the results (R2 =.039), whereas age was responsible for R2 =.011 and together, they explained 5% of the variance of TP-DI. TP performances are strongly influenced by age and education. This is the first study focused on the establishment of normative data after the age of 45 in the Portuguese population, allowing a reliable assessment in both clinical and research contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The validity of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Tests has been widely studied, but their reliability has not. This study aimed to estimate the test-retest reliability of these tests in a sample of 34 older adults, aged 69 to 90 years old, without neuropsychiatric diagnoses and living in retirement homes in the district of Lisbon, Portugal. The battery was administered twice, with a 4-week interval between sessions. The Paired Associates Learning (PAL), Spatial Working Memory (SWM), Rapid Visual Information Processing, and Reaction Time tests revealed measures with high-to-adequate test-retest correlations (.71-.89), although several PAL and SWM measures showed susceptibility to practice effects. Two estimated standardized regression-based methods were found to be more efficient at correcting for practice effects than a method of fixed correction. We also found weak test-retest correlations (.56-.68) for several measures. These results suggest that some, but not all, measures are suitable for cognitive assessment and monitoring in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the utility of the Portuguese version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a screening-method for identifying cognitive dysfunction (CD) in multiple sclerosis (MS). The 118 participants with comprehensive neuropsychological assessment were divided into two subgroups: (I) MS group (n = 59) and (II) control group (n = 59). The MS patients were classified as cognitively intact (n = 26) or impaired (n = 33, 56%). The results indicated that the MoCA is a psychometrically valid instrument in assessment of MS patients. The Multiple Linear Regression analyses highlighted the significant influence of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and Irregular Word Reading Test on MoCA performance. The MoCA total score showed a good discriminative capacity between cognitively impaired and cognitively intact subjects. In addition, there were significant differences in MoCA cognitive domain scores between groups. The MoCA total score cut-off point for identifying CD in MS patients was a score below 26 points (AUC = 0.837, CI = 0.736–0.937). A proposed EM-MoCA-Subscore for identifying the MS-related cognitive impairment (max. score = 19 points, cut-off <17 points, AUC = 0.871, CI = 0.784–0.958), can reduce administration time for cognitive screening in clinical settings. The MoCA is a useful and sensitive instrument to identify the MS-related cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aimed to investigate the presence of a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) cognitive profile in a Portuguese neurologic injured sample. The Portuguese WAIS-III was administered to 81 mixed neurologic patients and 81 healthy matched controls selected from the Portuguese standardization sample. Although the mixed neurologic injury group performed significantly lower than the healthy controls for the majority of the WAIS-III scores (i.e., composite measures, discrepancies, and subtests), the mean scores were within the normal range and, therefore, at risk of being unobserved in a clinical evaluation. ROC curves analysis showed poor to acceptable diagnostic accuracy for the WAIS-III composite measures and subtests (Working Memory Index and Digit Span revealed the highest accuracy for discriminating between participants, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that both literacy and the presence of brain injury were significant predictors for all of the composite measures. In addition, multiple regression analysis also showed that literacy, age of injury onset, and years of survival predicted all seven composite measures for the mixed neurologic injured group. Despite the failure to find a WAIS-III cognitive profile for mixed neurologic patients, the results showed a significant influence of brain lesion and literacy in the performance of the WAIS-III. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Selective Reminding Test (SRT) and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) are multitrial memory tests that use a common “selective reminding” paradigm that aims to facilitate learning by presenting only the missing words from the previous recall trial. While in the FCSRT semantic cues are provided to elicit recall, in the SRT, participants are merely reminded of the missing items by repeating them. These tests have been used to assess age-related memory changes and to predict dementia. The performance of healthy elders on these tests has been compared before, and results have shown that twice as many words were retrieved from long-term memory in the FCSRT compared with the SRT. In this study, we compared the tests’ properties and their accuracy in discriminating amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI;n = 20) from Alzheimer disease (AD;n = 18). Patients with AD performed significantly worse than patients with aMCI on both tests. The percentage of items recalled during the learning trials was significantly higher for the FCSRT in both groups, and a higher number of items were later retrieved, showing the benefit of category cueing. Our key finding was that the FCSRT showed higher accuracy in discriminating patients with aMCI from those with AD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]