Cognitive Syndromes
Common Cognitive Competency Tests
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While neurological examination and CT, MRI, EEG, and PET scans look at the structural, physical, and metabolic condition of the brain, neuropsychological tests measure the brain's function. Depending on which tests are used, a neuropsychological examinations can evaluate a range of mental processes, from simple motor performance to complex reasoning and problem solving. The key to a thorough evaluation is the analysis of patterns observed among the results of a number of tests. To gather a comprehensive clinical history, neuropsychologists interprete the combination of test scores, behavioral process observations, and consistencies in emerging patterns.
Test |
Test Description |
|---|---|
| Ammons Quick Test | This test assesses intelligence and its brevity lends itself to evelauate individuals with physically handicaps or attention span problems. It correlates well with the WAIS Full Scale IQ. The raw score of 46 translates to an IQ score of 110 (2) (z-score = 0.7) and falls at percentile 75. This performance is in the High Average range of functioning. |
| Aphasia Tests (various) | Several aphasia and language tests examine level of competency in receptive and expressive language skills. (e.g., Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test) |
| Barona Index | The Barona Index uses demographic factors to estimate premorbid IQ. These factors are not subject to decline due to clinical conditions. The inherent error of this method means it is only an estimation of premorbid IQ. The FSIQ score of 120 has a z-score of 1.3, which falls at percentile 91. This indicates functioning in the Superior range. |
| Beck Depression or Anxiety Scales | These scales provide quick assessment of subjective experience of symptoms related to depression or anxiety. |
| Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test | This test evaluates visual-perceptual and visual-motor functioning, yielding possible signs of brain dysfunction, emotional problems, and developmental maturity. |
| Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination | Broad diagnosis of language impairment in adults. |
| Boston Naming Test | This test measures naming abilities in detail. Naming problems often occur in aphasia disorders and in many other neuropathological conditions. Other factors influencing performance include visual perception and vocabulary. (3) The raw score of 34 has a z-score of -2.4 (17 pp. 215-216) which falls at percentile 1. Norms are adjusted for age. This performance falls in the Moderate impairment range of functioning. Using a cutoff z-score of -2.0 (17 pp. 215-216), this score is most consistent with impaired function regarding the abilities measured by this test. |
| California Verbal Learning Test | This procedure examines several aspects of verbal learning, organization, and memory. Forms for adults and children. |
| Category Fluency | Quickly producing words in a specified category is the major ability required by this test. (14) The raw score of 20 has a z-score of -3.4 (14), which falls at percentile 0. Norms are based on population with the average age of 70. Compared to that sample, this performance falls in the Severe impairment range of functioning. By using a z-score cutoff of -3.4 (14), this score is most consistent with impaired function. |
| Clock Drawing Test | Abilities required to successfully complete this test include spatial perception, construction, and other cognitive abilities. The raw score of 12 has a z-score of -0.6, which falls at percentile 26. Norms are adjusted for age. This performance falls in the Average range of functioning. This score is most consistent with normal function using a z-score cutoff of -0.95. |
| Cognitive Symptom Checklists | Self-evaluation of areas of cognitive impairment for adolescents and adults. |
| Continuous Performance Test | Tests that require intense attention to a visual-motor task are used in assessing sustained attention and freedom from distractibility. (e.g., Vigil; Connors Continuous Performance Test) |
| Controlled Oral Word Association Test | Different forms of this procedure exist. Most frequently used for assessing verbal fluency and the ease with which a person can think of words that begin with a specific letter. |
| Cognistat (The Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination) | This screening test examines language, memory, arithmetic, attention, judgment, and reasoning. It is typically used in screening individuals who cannot tolerate more complicated or lengthier neuropsychological tests. |
Cornell Depression Scale |
Items on the scale emphasize observable signs of depression such as sadness, agitation, sleep difficulties, and low energy. It was completed by the primary caregiver, the a friend. The raw score of 16 has a z-score of -3.3, which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Severe impairment range of functioning. Using a cutoff score of -1.5, this score is most consistent with impaired a normal mood state. |
| d2 Test of Attention | This procedure measures selective attention and mental concentration. |
| Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System | Assesses key areas of executive function (problem-solving, thinking flexibility, fluency, planning, deductive reasoning) in both spatial and verbal modalities, normed for ages 8-89. |
| Dementia Rating Scale | Provides measurement of attention, initiation, construction, conceptualization, and memory to assess cognitive status in older adults with cortical impairment. |
| Digit Vigilance Test | A commonly used test of attention, alertness, and mental processing capacity using a rapid visual tracking task. |
| Figural Fluency Test | Different forms of this procedure exist, evaluating nonverbal mental flexibility. Often compared with tests of verbal fluency. |
| Finger Tapping (Oscillation) Test | This procedure measures motor speed. By examining performance on both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding possible lateral brain damage. |
Grip Strength Test |
This test measures dominant and nondominant grip strength. Norms are adjusted for age and gender. The dominant hand (right) raw score of 11.0 has a z-score of -4.3 which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Very Severe impairment range of functioning. This score is most consistent with impaired function using a cutoff z-score of -1.5. The nondominant hand raw score of 10.3 has a z-score of -3.9 which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Very Severe impairment range of functioning. Such scores are most consistent with impaired function when using a cutoff score of -1.5. The difference between the dominant and nondominant z-scores is -0.4. |
| Grooved Pegboard | This procedure measures performance speed in a fine motor task. By examining both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding possible lateral brain damage. |
| Halstead Category Test | This test measures concept learning. It examines flexibility of thinking and openness to learning. It is considered a good measure of overall brain function. Various forms of this test exist. |
| Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery | A set of tests that examines language, attention, motor speed, abstract thinking, memory, and spatial reasoning is often used to produce an overall assessment of brain function. Some neuropsychologists use some or all of the original set of tests in this battery. |
| Hooper Visual Organization Test | This procedure examines ability to visually integrate information into whole perceptions. It is a sensitive measure of moderate to severe brain injury. |
| Kaplan Baycrest Neurocognitive Assessment | Assesses cognitive abilities in adults, including attention, memory, verbal fluency, spatial processing, and reasoning/conceptual shifting. |
| Kaufman Functional Academic Skills Test | A brief, individually administered test designed to determine performance in reading and mathematics as applied to daily life situations. |
| Kaufman Short Neuropsychological Assessment | Measures broad cognitive functions in adolescents and adults with mental retardation or dementia. |
| Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery | This is a set of several tests designed to cover a broad range of functional domains and to provide a pattern analyses of strengths and weakness across areas of brain function. The tests reflect a quantitative model of A. R. Luria's qualitative assessment scheme. |
Mattis Dementia Rating Scale |
The purpose of this test is to provide an index of cognitive functions. The total raw score of 109 has a z-score of -4.1 which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Very Severe impairment range of functioning. Using a cutoff score of 123, this score is most consistent with impaired function regarding the abilities measured by this test. |
| I-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) | This well-known and well-respected personality assessment is often used to accompany neuropsychological tests to assess personality and emotional status that might lend understanding to reactions to neurofunctional impairment. |
| Memory Assessment Scales | This is a comprehensive battery of tests assessing short-term, verbal, and visual memory. |
| MicroCog | This computerized assessment measures nine functional cognitive areas sensitive to brain injury |
| Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory | A self-report assessment of personality disorders and clinical syndromes. This is sometimes used as an adjunct instrument in comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. |
| Mooney Problem Checklist | This instrument helps individuals express their personal problems. It covers health and physical development; home and family; morals and religion; courtship, sex, and marriage. |
| Multilingual Aphasia Examination | This set of subtests provides comprehensive assessment of a wide range of language disorders. |
| North American Reading Test | This reading test is often used to help assess premorbid intelligence, for comparison with current intelligence as measured by more comprehensive tests. |
| Quick Neurological Screening Test | This is a rapid assessment to identify possible neurological signs, primarily in motor, sensory, and perceptual areas. |
| Paced Auditory Serial Attention Test | Tests for attention deficits including concentration, speed of processing, mental calculation, and mental tracking. Sensitive for diagnosing cognitive impairment in individuals 16 and up. |
| Paulhus Deception Scales | This instrument measures the tendency to give socially desirable responses, useful for identifying individuals who distort their responses. |
| Personality Adjective Checklist | This self-report measure evaluate several personality patterns, primarily focusing on personality disorders |
| Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status | Designed as a brief, repeatable measure of cognitive decline or stability over time, appropriate for trauma, disease, or stroke. |
| Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test | This procedure evaluates the ability to learn word lists. It is the forerunner of other tests of verbal learning using lists of words. |
| Rey Complex Figure Test | This drawing and visual memory test examines ability to construct a complex figure and remember it for later recall. It measures memory as well as visual-motor organization. |
| Rey 15-item Memory Test | This test is used to evaluate potential for malingering in memory. |
| Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test | Analyzes aspects of visuospatial ability and memory in all ages. |
| Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test | Evaluates impairments in everyday memory related to real life situations. |
| Rogers Criminal Responsibility Scale | This instrument is designed to assess the impairment of an individual at the time a crime was committed. |
| Rorschach Projective Technique | This familiar inkblot test is used to evaluate complex psychological dynamics. Persons with brain injury have been shown to produce certain kinds of responses that can complement other tests and help to understand personality changes associated with brain injury. |
| Ruff Figural Fluency Test | This visual procedure complements verbal fluency tests in assessing ability to think flexibly but using visual stimuli rather than words. |
| Sensory Screening Test | Various procedures include the assessment of tactile sensitivity to various objects, the ability to recognize objects by touch, and the ability to detect numbers written on the hands by touch alone. By examining both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding possible lateral brain damage. |
| SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist 90) | This checklist evaluates the individual's subjective complaints. |
| Shipley Institute of Living Scale | Comparison of vocabulary knowledge and ability to figure out abstract sequential patterns has been established as a sensitive measure of general brain functioning. |
| Stroop Test | This brief procedure examines attention, mental speed, and mental control. |
| Symbol Digit Modalities Test | Primarily this test requires mental speed, motor speed and mental flexibility. Other abilities used include concentration, visual scanning, and visual perception. The raw score of 9 has a z-score of -2.4 (20) which falls at percentile 1. Norms are adjusted for age and educational level.. This performance falls in the Moderate impairment range of functioning. This score is most consistent with impaired function using a cutoff z-score of -1.5. |
| Tactual Performance Test | ssesses speed of motor performance, tactile perception, spatial problem-solving, and spatial memory in all ages. |
Tapping Test |
Simple motor speed of both index fingers and some degree of coordination is measured by this test. Norms are adjusted for age and gender. The dominant hand (right) raw score of 25.4 has a z-score of -2.7 which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Severe impairment range of functioning. This score is most consistent with impaired function, using a cutoff z-score of -1.5. The nondominant hand raw score of 12.2 has a z-score of -5.1 which falls at percentile 0. This performance falls in the Very Severe impairment range of functioning. Such a score is most consistent with impaired motor speed using a cutoff z-score of -1.5. The difference between the dominant and nondominant z-scores is 1.6. |
| Test of Memory Malingering | This test is used to evaluate potential for malingering in memory. |
| Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) | This test for children and adolescents measures numerous aspects of memory, assessing learning, attention, and recall. |
| Test of Memory Malingering | For ages 16-84, this visual recognition test helps discriminate malingered from true memory impairments. |
| Thematic Apperception Test | This projective test is most commonly used to examine personality characteristics that may aid in understanding psychological or emotional adjustment to brain injury. |
| Tower of London | A test for all ages, assessing higher-level problem-solving, valuable for examining executive functions and strategy planning. |
| Trail Making Tests A and B | These tests measure attention, visual searching, mental processing speed, and the ability to mentally control simultaneous stimulus patterns. While they are sensitive to global brain status, they are not too sensitive to measure minor brain injuries. Other componentsof these tests include motivation, problem solving, and impulse control. The Trails A raw score of 96 has a z-score of -2.6 (9) which falls at percentile 0. Norms are adjusted for sex, age, and educational level. This performance falls in the Severe impairment range of functioning. Based on a cutoff z-score of -1.5 (6 Table 6), this score falls in impaired range of functioning. The Trails A raw score of 96 has a z-score of -2.6 which falls at percentile 0. Norms are adjusted for sex, age, and educational level. This performance falls in the Severe impairment range of functioning. Based on a cutoff z-score of -1.5, this score falls in impaired range of functioning. |
| Validity Indicator Profile | A complex, computer-analyzed test for evaluating effort and motivation in test taking. |
| Verbal (Word) Fluency Tests (various) | There are a variety of verbal fluency tests in use. Each is designed to measure the speed and flexibility of verbal thought processes. (e.g., Controlled Oral Word Association Test; Thurstone Verbal Fluency) |
| Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III | This set of 13 separate "subtests" produces measures of memory, knowledge, problem solving, calculation, abstract thinking, spatial orientation, planning, and speed of mental processing. In addition to summary measures of intelligence, performance on each subtest yields implications for different neurofunctional domains. The set of tests takes about an hour or more to administer. The WAIS-III is often the foundation for a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. |
| Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—III | omparable to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, this procedure contains subtests that measure similar domains in children. |
| Wechsler Memory Scale—III | This set of 18 separate "subtests" yields information about various kinds of memory and learning processes. Summary memory indices are provided in addition to the individual scores of the subtests. The whole set of tests takes about an hour to administer. The WMS-III provides a comprehensive assessment of memory. It is co-normed with the WAIS-III and is usually used in conjunction with it. |
| Wechsler Test of Adult Reading | Provides estimate of pre-morbid intellectual functioning in persons 18-89, normed with the WAIS-III and WMS-III. |
| Wide Range Achievement Test | Provides level of performance in reading, spelling, and written arithmetic. The reading and spelling tests are often used in estimating premorbid intellectual functioning. |
| Wisconsin Card Sort Test | Similar in concept to the Category Test, this procedure also measures the ability to learn concepts. It is considered a good measure of frontal lobe functioning. |
| Wonderlic Personnel Test | This personnel test is not a neuropsychological instrument per se, but is used to help evaluate vocational abilities and potential for comparison with other neuropsychological tests in making practical prognostic decisions. |
| Word Memory Test | A validity procedure designed to detect response bias that might indicate exaggeration of impairment or symptom feigning. |
References:
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Ammons, R.B., and Ammons, C.H. (1958). Quick Test Manual. Southern Universities Press. Psychological Test Specialists.
Dimond, Stuart J. (1980). Neuropsychology: A textbook of Systems and Psychological Functions of the Human Brain. Boston: Butterworths.
Drebing, Charles E., Van Gorp, W., Stuck, A., Mitrushina, M., and Beck, J. (1994). Early Detection of Cognitive Decline in Higher Cognitively Functioning Older Adults: Sensitivity and Specificity. Neuropsychology, 8, 31-37.
Jarvis, Paul E., Barth, J.T. (1994). The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery: A Guide to Interpretation and Clinical Applications. Odessa FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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