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Objective High demand for pediatric neuropsychological care has highlighted the time- and resource-intensive nature of traditional comprehensive evaluations. Emerging care models address these constraints by facilitating tiered neuropsychological services provided in various contexts, including multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs). We aim to demonstrate feasibility and acceptability of tiered neuropsychological care in MDCs through examples from a single institution. Methods A review of all current MDC practices at a tertiary pediatric care center was conducted to describe clinic workflow, services provided, and triage strategies. Pediatric neuropsychologists (n  = 5) and other health care providers (n  = 31) completed a survey focused on experience with neuropsychology consultation in MDCs. Results Neuropsychologists provided care in 11 MDCs, including universal monitoring with consultative interviews and questionnaires, as well as targeted screening. Neuropsychologists (89%) and other health professionals (100%) reported that tiered neuropsychological services improved patient care within MDCs. Other health professionals reported utilizing results from neuropsychology MDC care to inform their clinical approach (48–90%), referrals (58%), and treatment or surveillance decisions (55–71%). Conclusion Tiered neuropsychological care in pediatric MDCs is feasible, and provider experience ratings indicate high acceptability. Practical steps for development of MDCs are provided, including identifying teams, clinic goals and outcomes, operational logistics, and billing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conventional neuropsychological screening tools for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) face challenges in terms of accuracy and practicality. Digital health solutions, such as unobtrusively capturing smartphone interaction data, offer a promising alternative. However, the potential of digital biomarkers as a surrogate for MCI screening remains unclear, with few comparisons between smartphone interactions and existing screening tools. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of smartphone-derived keystroke dynamics, captured via the Neurokeys keyboard app, in distinguishing patients with MCI from healthy controls (HCs). This study also compared the discriminant performance of these digital biomarkers against the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), which is widely used for MCI detection in clinical settings. Methods: A total of 64 HCs and 47 patients with MCI were recruited. Over a 1-month period, participants generated 3530 typing sessions, with 2740 (77.6%) analyzed for this study. Keystroke metrics, including hold time and flight time, were extracted. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of keystroke dynamics in discriminating between HCs and patients with MCI. This study also explored the correlation between keystroke dynamics and MoCA-K scores. Results: Patients with MCI had significantly higher keystroke latency than HCs (P <.001). In particular, latency between key presses resulted in the highest sensitivity (97.9%) and specificity (96.9%). In addition, keystroke dynamics were significantly correlated with the MoCA-K (hold time: r =–.468; P <.001; flight time: r =–.497; P <.001), further supporting the validity of these digital biomarkers. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of smartphone-derived keystroke dynamics as an effective and ecologically valid tool for screening MCI. With higher sensitivity and specificity than the MoCA-K, particularly in measuring flight time, keystroke dynamics can serve as a noninvasive, scalable, and continuous method for early cognitive impairment detection. This novel approach could revolutionize MCI screening, offering a practical alternative to traditional tools in everyday settings. Trial Registration: Thai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20220415002; https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20220415002 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early detection and diagnosis of cognitive impairment are paramount to improving the clinical outcomes and care of patients. Whilst primary care professionals play a key role in the healthcare management and treatment of their patients, community pharmacists and other allied health professionals working in community pharmacies are more accessible and trusted. As such, they are in an ideal position to identify and assist in the management of individuals with cognitive memory disorders. Aim: To assess the impact of a pharmacist-based cognitive memory screening service delivered in community pharmacy practice in Italy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. Setting: Community pharmacies. Population: Patients accessing community pharmacies. Methods: Participants underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological screening program (the “Montreal Cognitive Assessment” (MoCA) test, the “Babcock Story Recall Test”, and the “Rey–Osterrieth complex figure” (ROCF) test). The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the classical medical/psychological referral for cognitive impairment were computed. Results: A sample of 185 subjects (aged 61.24±15.06 years, 78.9% females) was recruited. The classical medical/psychological referral yielded an accuracy ranging from 58.4% to 63.2%, a sensitivity of 56.3-66.7%, and a specificity of 57.9-74.0% in terms of detection of individuals with cognitive impairment. The neuropsychological screening enabled the identification of a further 33.3-43.8% of subjects that would have been missed otherwise. Conclusions: Neuropsychological screening programs in the setting of community pharmacies are highly valuable and effective.

Syntactic deficits are not a core symptom of the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). However, some studies indicate syntactic impairments that deteriorate with progress of the disease. The study addresses the presence of a syntactic deficit and its association with clinical, neuropsychological, neuroanatomical and demographic variables. Nine individuals with svPPA were tested with a cognitive screening test (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, ACE-R), a language screening test (Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination—BDAE) and a syntactic test (object question elicitation). Additionally, the regional cerebral flow was measured with brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The results indicated significant impairment in the production of object questions for some patients. Performance on these clauses was not predicted by the ACE-R or by hypoperfusion in the language areas. While there was no evidence for an effect of disease duration on syntactic performance, the results reveal a potential effect of the age of symptom onset. Furthermore, the results reveal a significant association between the performance in BDAE and the years of education and production of object questions. Overall, these results indicate a significant specific deficit in syntax for some patients with svPPA and highlight the importance of the premorbid educational status for the progress of the disease.

Treatment gaps in meeting the neuropsychological needs of young adult (YA) cancer survivors can be attributed to several clinical and systemic reasons. Access to neurocognitive care can be increased through the effective integration of neuropsychological monitoring and intervention in survivorship care. In this brief report, we aim to compare the efficacy of a brief neuropsychological screener (DIVERGT) in meeting the assessment and referral needs of pediatric and YA cancer survivors (n = 40) as part of a wellness and survivorship clinic. Participants (n = 40) were patients who presented to a pediatric oncology survivorship clinic over the span of 15 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depres sion is reported in up to 90% of cancer patients but to this date, a standardized screening tool for depression specifically modified for patients diagnosed with brain tumors is lacking. Thus, this study aims to develop an adapted screening tool and identify a suitable time slot for screening. Methods: Sixty-one patients with brain lesions were interviewed prior to neurosurgical resection. For screening purposes, established depression scores were used. A study-specific questionnaire (SSQ) was developed based on patient interviews prior to the trial. Two subgroups were analyzed: patients with benign and patients with malignant tumors (including brain metastases). As a subgroup within malignant lesions, patients with glioblastoma (GBM) were also analyzed separately. Results: Of patients, 87.5% with GBM presented with results > 16 points on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) after surgery. A decline in patients with benign brain tumors (p = 0.0058) and an increase in patients with malignant tumors (p = 0.0491) could be shown over time for CES-D scores. In this study, we established a new prototype screening tool for depression. In patients diagnosed with GBM, the number of patients needed to screen for identification of symptoms of depression was 1.59. Best time for screening was 35 days after surgery. Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence and low number needed to screen of depression in patients diagnosed with GBM, we strongly encourage their routine screening during follow-up appointments (35 days after surgery). We encourage a plan to further establish the questionnaire developed in this pilot study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of administering caregiver-report neuropsychological screening measures in pediatric multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs) and investigate predictive utility for cognitive and academic difficulties on follow-up testing. Method The Pediatric Perceived Cognitive Functioning (Peds PCF) and Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire (CLDQ) were administered to caregivers of youth with history of brain tumor (BT), non-central nervous system (CNS) cancer, or Fontan circulation as part of routine neuropsychological consultation in MDCs from 2017 to 2019. We examined cross-sectional differences on screening measures, and relationships between screening and intellectual and academic test performance in a subset who presented for follow-up neuropsychological evaluation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify suggested cut scores on screening measures for predicting who would most benefit from further evaluation. Results Screening was completed with 192 families. Children with history of non-CNS cancer (n  = 29) had fewer parent-reported cognitive and academic concerns compared with either BT (n  = 88) or Fontan (n  = 75) groups. Peds PCF and CLDQ scores were related to intellectual and academic test performance in the group presenting for neuropsychological evaluation (n  = 68). ROC curve analysis identified cut scores across screening measures with maximal sensitivity and specificity for detecting neuropsychological difficulties. Conclusions It is feasible to utilize parent rating measures during neuropsychological consultation in pediatric MDCs. The Peds PCF and CLDQ demonstrated sensitivity to intellectual and academic difficulties in children with significant medical histories. Screening may be a helpful tool for pediatric neuropsychologists and other professionals during MDC consultation to inform clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the validity (construct validity) and reliability (internal consistency) of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Screening Module (S-NAB) in detecting mild cognitive deficit/alteration in multicultural, multilingual, and multiethnic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) population of Malaysia. S-NAB and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) data from 114 patients with mTBI (93 males; 21 females) aged 18 to 60 years old were obtained at University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia. The mean age was 28.17 ± 8.57 years and mean education years was 12.40 ± 2.01. Convergent validity was assessed between S-NAB domain scores and MoCA total scores by using Pearson's correlation and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Acceptable internal consistency (α ≥ .70) was found for Attention, Language, and Memory domains but weak internal consistencies (α < .50) were found for Spatial and Executive Function domains. There were positive but weak correlations between S-NAB and MoCA. These findings provide some support for the application of S-NAB in assessing mild cognitive deficits of mTBI population in a Malaysian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is a chronic disease that affects ~40 million people worldwide. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are common in individuals with HIV-1 Infection, and represent a recent public health problem. Here we evaluate the performance of a recently proposed short protocol for detecting HAND by studying 60 individuals with HIV-1-Infection and 60 seronegative controls from a Caribbean community in Barranquilla, Colombia. The short evaluation protocol used significant neuropsychological tests from a previous study of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected patients and a group of seronegative controls. Brief screening instruments, i.e., the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), were also applied. Using machine-learning techniques, we derived predictive models of HAND status, and evaluated their performance with the ROC curves. The proposed short protocol performs exceptionally well yielding sensitivity, specificity, and overall prediction values >90%, and better predictive capacity than that of the MMSE and IHDS. Community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis, based on the MMSE and IHDS, make this protocol suitable for HAND screening in individuals from this Caribbean community. This study shows the effectivity of a recently proposed short protocol to detect HAND in individuals with asymptomatic HIV-1-Infection. The application of community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis in the clinical setting may improve HAND screening accuracy and facilitate patients’ treatment and follow-up. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of this protocol in other Latin American populations.

The main aims of this study are to explore the psychosocial and neuropsychological state of health of immigrant patients with chronic disease in Italy, and the development of a first multidimensional neuropsychological screening model for the immigrant population, to promote the validation of a standardized set of tests for populations with different cultural backgrounds. A total of 80 chronic patients were enrolled in the study, including 44 regular immigrant patients and 36 Italian patients (control sample). The multidimensional screening was administered only to participants who demonstrated an adequate level of understanding and production of the Italian language and it was based on three sections: (i) psychosocial evaluation, (ii) neuropsychological assessment and (iii) a semi-structured interview. The first section includes psychosocial scales aimed at investigating basic language skills, health status, perceived social support, the degree of daily perceived discrimination, the socio-economic status and the presence of comorbidity with other clinical disorders. The second section consists of a battery of neuropsychological tests evaluating global cognitive functioning. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and analysed with the method of the agreement between the judges. Psychosocial findings showed that chronic immigrant patients are significantly younger than Italians, perceive greater discrimination and less social support, especially by the family, than Italian patients. Neuropsychological data showed that the chronic immigrant sample appears to be cognitively vulnerable, particularly in short-term auditory-verbal memory and non-verbal abstract reasoning, compared to the Italian sample. The analysis of the interviews reveals some differences were found for the topics referred by all patients, such as, the experience within the outpatient and/or hospital services, that the foreign chronic sample describes as better than the Italian sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: We present the Brain‐Age Score (BAS) as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based index for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We developed a fully automated framework for estimating the BAS in healthy controls (HCs) and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD, using MRI scans. Methods: We trained the proposed framework using 385 HCs from the IXI and OASIS datasets and evaluated 146 HCs, 102 stable‐MCI (sMCI), 112 progressive‐MCI (pMCI), and 147 AD patients from the J‐ADNI dataset. We used a correlation test to determine the association between the BAS and four traditional screening tools of AD: the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Ratio (CDR), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Score (ADAS), and Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ). Furthermore, we assessed the association between BAS and anatomical MRI measurements: the normalized gray matter (nGM), normalized white matter (nWM), normalized cerebrospinal fluid (nCSF), mean cortical thickness as well as hippocampus volume. Results: The correlation results demonstrated that the BAS is in line with traditional screening tools of AD (i.e., the MMSE, CDR, ADAS, and FAQ scores) as well as anatomical MRI measurements (i.e., nGM, nCSF, mean cortical thickness, and hippocampus volume). Discussion: The BAS may be useful for diagnosing the brain atrophy level and can be a reliable automated index for clinical applications and neuropsychological screening tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the paucity of quick, cognitive screening tools available in India that are independent of cultural and educational influences, a 6-item paper and pencil test, covering areas of memory, executive functioning, attention, and visuospatial ability domains - the Neuropsychological Evaluation Screening Tool (NEST) was developed.Aim and Method: NEST was administered to 84 healthy controls to analyze, revise, and review items. In the second phase, 408 patients, above 16 years of age, with their educational level ranging from being illiterate to having greater than 25 years of education, with various neurological and psychiatric conditions were independently administered NEST, Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE), and a detailed cognitive evaluation using PGI Memory Scale (PGIMS).Results: Using receiver operating characteristics analysis for 341 patients, ≥3 was identified as the optimum cut-off for NEST. NEST could correctly classify 87.9% of the patients with an impaired vs. an intact cognition. The diagnostic characteristics of NEST with PGIMS were sensitivity (95% CI): 94.78% (91.1, 97.3); specificity (95% CI): 60.31% (51.3, 68.7); positive predictive value (95% CI): 80.74% (78.1, 93.0); and negative predictive value (95% CI): 86.81% (75.6, 85.3). NEST had an 82.5% agreement (95% CI: 78.1, 86.2) with PGIMS. On the other hand, the diagnostic characteristics of HMSE with PGIMS were sensitivity (95% CI): 73.79% (67.5, 79.3); specificity (95% CI): 82.44% (74.8, 88.5); positive predictive value (95% CI): 88.02% (82.5, 92.2); and negative predictive value (95% CI): 64.3% (56.5, 71.5). HMSE had a 76.95% (95% CI: 72.2, 81.1) agreement with PGIMS.Conclusions: NEST has better sensitivity compared to HMSE for detecting cognitive impairment when compared to a detailed evaluation at all educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive function (EF) has been defined as a multifaceted construct that involves a variety of high-level cognitive abilities such as planning, working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibition. Being able to identify deficits in EF is important for the diagnosis and monitoring of several neurodegenerative disorders, and thus their assessment is a topic of much debate. In particular, there has been a growing interest in the development of neuropsychological screening tools that can potentially provide a reliable quick measure of EF. In this review, we critically discuss the four screening tools of EF currently available in the literature: Executive Interview-25 (EXIT 25), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), and FRONTIER Executive Screen (FES). We first describe their features, and then evaluate their psychometric properties, the existing evidence on their neural correlates, and the empirical work that has been conducted in clinical populations. We conclude that the four screening tools generally present appropriate psychometric properties, and are sensitive to impairments in EF in several neurodegenerative conditions. However, more research will be needed mostly with respect to normative data and neural correlates, and to determine the extent to which these tools add specific information to the one provided by global cognition screening tests. More research directly comparing the available tools with each other will also be important to establish in which conditions each of them can be most useful.

Executive function (EF) has been defined as a multifaceted construct that involves a variety of high-level cognitive abilities such as planning, working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibition. Being able to identify deficits in EF is important for the diagnosis and monitoring of several neurodegenerative disorders, and thus their assessment is a topic of much debate. In particular, there has been a growing interest in the development of neuropsychological screening tools that can potentially provide a reliable quick measure of EF. In this review, we critically discuss the four screening tools of EF currently available in the literature: Executive Interview-25 (EXIT 25), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), and FRONTIER Executive Screen (FES). We first describe their features, and then evaluate their psychometric properties, the existing evidence on their neural correlates, and the empirical work that has been conducted in clinical populations. We conclude that the four screening tools generally present appropriate psychometric properties, and are sensitive to impairments in EF in several neurodegenerative conditions. However, more research will be needed mostly with respect to normative data and neural correlates, and to determine the extent to which these tools add specific information to the one provided by global cognition screening tests. More research directly comparing the available tools with each other will also be important to establish in which conditions each of them can be most useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade has seen a steep increase in the number of computer and console games used for educational and research purposes. The current work presents an attempt to transfer some of the main features of standardized neuropsychological tests into a serious video game. The Towi game platform draws inspiration from tests such as the Backward Digit Span, Visual Search and Labyrinths, to build a set of tasks based on relatable activities and circumstances. The Towi games revolve around events related to a trip, in which the subject progresses by solving tasks that fit into a narrative, such as preparing your luggage or finding your way to the airport. We compared performance metrics produced by standardized neuropsychological tests with scores produced by Towi among a sample of 75 children, finding significant correlations for most of the comparisons. Additionally, Towi scores were found to be sensitive to effects of age, sex and the number of hours subjects dedicate to playing video games. A factor analysis grouped Towi measures into five recognizable groups (planning, sustained attention, selective attention, self-monitoring and memory) indicating the gaming platform has potential as a neuropsychological screening tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the results of a descriptive and exploratory study, with the intent to understand the results of a 21 male schizophrenic patients interned in a Portuguese Mental Health Care Centre, evaluated with neuropsychological test. We tried also to link these tests with variables such as schooling, family contact or lengh of internment. The assessment instruments were: Digits Series and Vocabulary Task, both from WAIS, Raven Progressive Matrices, Rey’s Complex Figures, Luria’s Series Neuropsychological Screening, Clock Task - Neuropsychological Screening and Visual Search and Attention Test. Results show that there is not an attention deficit clinically significant, even that data suggests light attention affection; also variables like family contact and schooling appear as protective factors of memory and also seems to be important for the planning / organization functions.

Objective:The efficacy of the most widely used tests for dementia screening is limited in populations characterized by low levels of education. This study aimed to validate the face-to-face administered Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) for detection of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a population-based sample of community dwelling individuals characterized by low levels of education or illiteracy in rural Greece.Methods:The translated Greek version of TICS was administered through face-to-face interview in 133 elderly residents of Velestino of low educational level (<12 years). We assessed its internal consistency and test–retest reliability, its correlation with sociodemographic parameters, and its discriminant ability for cognitive impairment and dementia, as defined by a brief neurological evaluation, including assessment of cognitive status and level of independence.Results:TICS was characterized by adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’sα: .72) and very high test–retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: .93); it was positively correlated with age and educational years. MCI and dementia were diagnosed in 18 and 10.5% of the population, respectively. Its discriminant ability for detection of dementia was high (Area under the curve, AUC: .85), with a sensitivity and specificity of 86 and 82%, respectively, at a cut-off point of 24/25. TICS did not perform well in differentiating MCI from cognitively normal individuals though (AUC: .67).Conclusion:The directly administered TICS questionnaire provides an easily applicable and brief option for detection of dementia in populations of low educational level and might be useful in the context of both clinical and research purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The German adaptation of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) includes five neuropsychological domains in a screening and in five main modules. For patients after unilateral stroke (n = 50) we found middle to high correlations (r = .60 bis .78) combined with a good agreement of classifications between screening domains and their respective main modules. In addition, the ability of the screening domains to predict performance on the corresponding main modules was analyzed. Based on the German NAB standardization sample (n = 880) joined with the group of patients after unilateral stroke (n = 50) the recommended screening cut-offs identified 94 to 98% of participants recommended for further assessment (high sensitivity). Our results underline the suitability of the NAB for adaptive assessments in the context of clinical neuropsychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk for neuropsychological late effects, yet identifying those in need of evaluation and obtaining needed services can be challenging for the medical team. Finding time- and cost-effective screening measures that can be used to identify children in need of evaluation is a clinical priority. Our objective was to investigate the association between parent-rated attention problems and related neuropsychological impairments in childhood cancer survivors as a means of identifying those at high risk for difficulties. Methods Cognitive and psychosocial data of survivors who completed neuropsychological evaluations were retrospectively abstracted. Parents of 70 survivors of pediatric cancer (mean age, 11.6 years) completed the Conners Parent Rating Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist. Children also completed a measure of intellectual functioning. The 18 symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were abstracted from the Conners questionnaire, and participants were classified according to whether or not they met attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom criteria (≥6 inattentive symptoms). Results Survivors who met symptom criteria for ADHD (27%) demonstrated greater impairments in IQ and working memory, but not processing speed, than survivors who did not. Meeting ADHD symptom criteria was also associated with greater externalizing and social problems but not more internalizing symptoms. ADHD symptom screening was associated with low sensitivity (range = 26.3%–69.2%) but stronger specificity (range = 75.0%–82.7%) for neuropsychological difficulties. Conclusion Parental ratings of attentional symptoms may be a useful way to screen survivors who may be in need of a full neuropsychological assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption can result in alcohol use disorder (AUD) without neurological complications and in Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) when combined with thiamine deficiency. These two clinical forms are accompanied by widespread structural brain damage in both the fronto-cerebellar (FCC) and Papez circuits (PC) as well as in the parietal cortex, resulting in cognitive and motor deficits. BEARNI is a screening tool especially designed to detect neuropsychological impairments in AUD. However, the sensitivity of this tool to the structural brain damage of AUD and KS patients remains unknown. Eighteen KS patients, 47 AUD patients and 27 healthy controls (HC) underwent the BEARNI test and a 3 T-MRI examination. Multiple regression analyses conducted between GM density and performance on each BEARNI subtest revealed correlations with regions included in the FCC, PC, thalamus and posterior cortex (precuneus and calcarine regions). All these brain regions were altered in KS compared to HC, in agreement with the cognitive deficits observed in the corresponding BEARNI subtests. The comparison between KS and AUD regarding the GM density in the several nodes of the FCC and calcarine regions revealed that they were atrophied to the same extent, suggesting that BEARNI is sensitive to the severity of alcohol-related GM abnormalities. Within the PC, the density of the cingulate cortex and thalamus, which correlated with the memory and fluency subscores, was smaller in KS than in AUD, suggesting that BEARNI is sensitive to specific brain abnormalities occurring in KS., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The Screening module from the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB-SM; Stern & White, 2003) is a comprehensive cognitive screening measure that assesses five domains (Attention, Language, Memory, Spatial, and Executive Functions). The construct validity of the NAB-SM in comparison to established neuropsychological (NP) measures in individuals with moderate-to-severe brain injury has yet to be investigated. Participants were 42 individuals with acquired brain injury admitted to a post-acute residential rehabilitation program. The NAB-SM cognitive domain index scores demonstrated weak internal consistency, whereas internal consistency for the NAB-SM total index score was satisfactory. In demonstrating construct validity, the NAB-SM cognitive domain index scores and individual subtest scores maintained several significant relationships with other NP tests that shared test structure and content or not. These relationships were limited or absent for the NAB-SM Executive Functions subtests and the NAB-SM Shape Learning subtest. Our findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the NAB-SM in a sample of patients with moderate-to-severe brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS; Randolph, 1998) is a screening battery designed to measure attention and processing speed, expressive language, visual-spatial and constructional abilities, and immediate and delayed memory. Clinical normative data for a large sample of inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders is available (Wilk, Gold, Humber, Dickerson, Fenton, & Buchanan, 2004). The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend the clinical normative data for the RBANS for use in inpatient psychiatry. Participants were 174 inpatients from a provincial psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Median performance on the RBANS was 1-2 standard deviations (SDs) below the mean. Patients with more than 12 years of education performed significantly better on every index score than patients with 12 or fewer years of education. Men performed better than women on the Visuospatial/Constructional Index (Cohen's d = .47). When examining all five Index scores simultaneously, it was common for inpatients to obtain three or more frankly impaired scores (i.e., less than the 2nd percentile). Overall, the performance of this inpatient sample was very similar to the clinical normative data presented by Wilk et al. (2004). Detailed normative tables by diagnosis, education, and gender are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB; Stern & White, 2003; White & Stern, 2003) is a comprehensive, modular battery of tests comprised of the following six modules: (a) Screening, (b) Attention, (c) Language, (d) Memory, (e) Spatial, and (f) Executive Functions. The Screening Module is an abbreviated version of the full NAB. The purpose of this descriptive study was to present index and primary test score information for the Screening Module in a mixed sample of patients with known neurological conditions. Participants were 37 outpatients with clear evidence of neurological damage or disease. Performance decrements were found on the Attention Index, most notably on the Numbers and Letters tests. Decrements were also found on the Executive Functions Index, most notably on the Word Generation test. Somewhat surprisingly, patients performed well across most of the individual test scores. This mixed clinical sample showed less neuropsychological compromise than the clinical samples presented in the NAB manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have found that women who abuse substances enter treatment with greater psychological problems and more vulnerabilities than men. This article reports on a 5-year study of clients in a comprehensive, residential drug treatment program for women and their children. Psychological assessments on 362 women included the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery, Screening Test (LNNB-ST). Early in the course of treatment, the typical client tends to experience a great deal of distress, as evidenced by scores on the CES-D. Other assessments indicate she is relatively alienated, mistrustful of others, and resentful of rules imposed on her by others. Repeated assessments show that these psychological indicators improve significantly as the client progresses through the treatment program. Additional studies are needed to focus on long-term treatment outcomes of women in programs designed specifically for them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A Swedish translation of the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions was administered to 52 normal control subjects and 36 patients with welldocumented brain dysfunction. Findings replicated those reported in American samples. Level of performance was strikingly similar between Swedish controls and American controls, especially in individuals between 15 and 39 years. Swedish patients with brain dysfunction performed at levels significantly below the Swedish control subjects. The sensitivity of the test was 83% (correctly classifying 30 of 36 patients); patients with a higher level of education were misclassified. The present study replicates earlier findings and adds to the construct validity of the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen. This test may also prove useful for studying rehabilitation outcomes in Swedish patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is a chronic disease that affects ~40 million people worldwide. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are common in individuals with HIV-1 Infection, and represent a recent public health problem. Here we evaluate the performance of a recently proposed short protocol for detecting HAND by studying 60 individuals with HIV-1-Infection and 60 seronegative controls from a Caribbean community in Barranquilla, Colombia. The short evaluation protocol used significant neuropsychological tests from a previous study of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected patients and a group of seronegative controls. Brief screening instruments, i.e., the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), were also applied. Using machine-learning techniques, we derived predictive models of HAND status, and evaluated their performance with the ROC curves. The proposed short protocol performs exceptionally well yielding sensitivity, specificity, and overall prediction values >90%, and better predictive capacity than that of the MMSE and IHDS. Community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis, based on the MMSE and IHDS, make this protocol suitable for HAND screening in individuals from this Caribbean community. This study shows the effectivity of a recently proposed short protocol to detect HAND in individuals with asymptomatic HIV-1-Infection. The application of community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis in the clinical setting may improve HAND screening accuracy and facilitate patients' treatment and follow-up. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of this protocol in other Latin American populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives: The high frequency of learning difficulties, attention disorders or developmental delay in children in the early years of schooling has resulted in a greater demand for pediatric services. Such services generally include assessments covering various specialties, are lengthy and often inaccessible to families due to prohibitively high cost. This paper presents an economically efficient model of interdisciplinary diagnosis. Methods: A group of 109 Brazilian students from public schools aged between 5 and 14 years old, referred by teachers for a history of learning disabilities, behavioral changes or language problems, was evaluated at the NANI (Nucleo de Atendimento Neuropsicologico Infantil). Assessments were performed simultaneously during a single day's attendance and comprised clinical-genetic examination, behavioral assessment and neuropsychological screening, specially developed for the process. The multiaxial system of DSM-IV was adopted for diagnostic description. Results: The results revealed heterogeneity in diagnoses which included specific learning disorders (25.7%), mild intellectual disabilities (17.43%), as well as suspected dysmorphic features (11.93%). Logistic regression showed good sensitivity of neuropsychological screening in the detection of predictive factors for specific developmental disorders, while working memory (p=0.05) and language (p=0.02) problems were found to be higher risk. Conclusions: The model adopted proved to be useful for defining the diagnosis of several conditions in infancy, and can be incorporated into specialized clinics such as psychiatric or developmental pediatric services.

Background: Impaired cognitive functioning and poor quality of life (QoL) are both common among patients with end-stage liver disease; however, it is unclear how these are related., Objective: This study examines how specific cognitive domains predict QoL among liver transplant candidates by replicating Stewart and colleagues' (2010) 3-factor model of cognitive functioning, and determining how variability in these cognitive domains predicts mental health and physical QoL., Methods: The sample included 246 patients with end-stage liver disease who were candidates for liver transplant at a large, Midwestern health care center. Measures, including the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, Trail Making Test, Shipley Institute of Living Scale, Short-Form Health Survey-36 Version 2, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, comprised latent variables representing global intellectual functioning, psychomotor speed, and learning and memory functioning., Results: Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate that the 3-factor solution model comprised of global intellectual functioning, psychomotor speed, and learning and memory functioning fit the data well. Addition of physical and mental health QoL latent factors resulted in a structural model also with good fit. Results related physical QoL to global intellectual functioning, and mental health QoL to global intellectual functioning and psychomotor functioning., Conclusions: Findings elucidate a relationship between cognition and QoL and support the use of routine neuropsychological screening with end-stage liver disease patients, specifically examining the cognitive domains of global intellectual, psychomotor, and learning and memory functioning. Subsequently, screening results may inform implementation of targeted interventions to improve QoL., (Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)