The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test as a test for executive function: Validity in patient groups and norms for older adults

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
ESTHER VAN DEN BERG ◽  
GUDRUN M. S. NYS ◽  
AUGUSTINA M. A. BRANDS ◽  
CARLA RUIS ◽  
MARTINE J. E. VAN ZANDVOORT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Korsakoff’S Syndrome ◽  
Early Dementia ◽  
Korsakoff's Syndrome ◽  
Patient Groups

AbstractImpairments in executive functioning frequently occur after acquired brain damage, in psychiatric disorders, and in relation to aging. The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test is a relatively new measure for assessing the ability to detect and follow a rule, an important aspect of executive functioning. To date, normative data on this task are limited, particularly concerning the elderly. This study presents age- and education-adjusted regression-based norms obtained in a group of healthy older participants (n = 283; mean age 67.4 ± 8.5 years). The applicability and validity of these norms were further examined in different groups of patients with stroke (n = 106), diabetes mellitus (n = 376), MCI/early dementia (n = 70), psychiatric disorders (n = 63), and Korsakoff’s syndrome (n = 41). The results showed that patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome, stroke, and psychiatric disorders performed significantly worse than healthy controls. Test-retest correlation (n = 83), learning effects, and correlations with other neuropsychological tests were also explored. Based on the present study, the Brixton test appears a useful addition to existing measures of executive functioning. Moreover, the test can be reliably applied in different groups of clinical patients. (JINS, 2009, 15, 695–703.)

Perspective taking in Korsakoff's syndrome: the role of executive functioning and task complexity

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 302-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joukje M. Oosterman ◽  
Maartje de Goede ◽  
Arie J. Wester ◽  
Martine J. E. van Zandvoort ◽  
Roy P. C. Kessels
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Story Comprehension ◽  
Korsakoff’S Syndrome ◽  
Korsakoff's Syndrome ◽  
And Task

Oosterman JM, de Goede M, Wester AJ, van Zandvoort MJE, Kessels RPC. Perspective taking in Korsakoff's syndrome: the role of executive functioning and task complexity.Objective: The ability to make inferences about knowledge, thoughts and feelings of others, i.e. perspective taking, is a key element of social cognition. Clinical observations indicate that Korsakoff patients may have impairments in social cognition, but studies are scarce. Also, executive dysfunction is present in Korsakoff patients, which may hamper perspective taking directly.Methods: Twenty-three patients with Korsakoff's syndrome and 15 healthy matched controls were examined on a story comprehension task, in which inferences had to be made that either relied on perspective taking or not. The effects of task complexity were taken into account and executive function was assessed using an extensive neuropsychological test battery.Results: The performance of Korsakoff patients declined with increasing complexity, but the pattern of decline for perspective-taking and non-perspective-taking stories was similar compared to that of the control group. Furthermore, the performance decline with increasing task complexity was directly related to the overall decline in executive functioning.Conclusion: Executive dysfunction, not deficits in perspective taking per se, appears to underlie difficulties in story comprehension in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

A Guide to the Neuropsychological Assessment of the Aging Individual

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 704-706
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moberg
Keyword(s):  
Neuropsychological Assessment ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Geriatric Population

Most clinical neuropsychologists find themselves, at one time or another, foraging through their collection of folders, boxes, and texts to locate reliability, validity, and normative data for some of the more commonly used neuropsychological tests in an elderly population. In their forward, Tuokko and Hadjistavropoulos indicate that this book is designed to compile the range of normative data on the more commonly used neuropsychological tests into one source that can be easily accessed and integrated by the clinician. In addition to presentation of normative data relating to the geriatric population, a critique of each instrument's standardization and normative data is presented as well. While not all-inclusive of measures used by the typical neuropsychologist, it does cover the majority of tasks for which good normative data on the elderly exist.

Suicide in Nógrád County, Hungary, 1970-1994

Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Zonda
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Suicidal Intention ◽  
Male Female Ratio

The author examined completed suicides occurring over a period of 25 years in a county of Hungary with a traditionally low (relatively speaking) suicide rate of 25.8. The rates are clearly higher in villages than in the towns. The male/female ratio was close to 4:1, among elderly though only 1.5:1. The high risk groups are the elderly, divorced, and widowed. Violent methods are chosen in 66.4% of the cases. The rates are particularly high in the period April-July. Prior communication of suicidal intention was revealed in 16.3% of all cases. Previous attempts had been undertaken by 17%, which in turn means that 83% of suicides were first attempts. In our material 10% the victims left suicide notes. Psychiatric disorders were present in 60.1% of the cases, and severe, multiple somatic illnesses (including malignomas) were present in 8.8%. The majority of the data resemble those found in the literature.

An Informant Questionnaire for Detecting Alzheimer's Disease: Are Some Items Better Than Others?

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sietske A.M. Sikkes ◽  
Dirk L. Knol ◽  
Mark T. van den Berg ◽  
Elly S.M. de Lange-de Klerk ◽  
Philip Scheltens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Better Than

AbstractA decline in everyday cognitive functioning is important for diagnosing dementia. Informant questionnaires, such as the informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE), are used to measure this. Previously, conflicting results on the IQCODEs ability to discriminate between Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively healthy elderly were found. We aim to investigate whether specific groups of items are more useful than others in discriminating between these patient groups. Informants of 180 AD, 59 MCI, and 89 patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC) completed the IQCODE. To investigate the grouping of questionnaire items, we used a two-dimensional graded response model (GRM).The association between IQCODE, age, gender, education, and diagnosis was modeled using structural equation modeling. The GRM with two groups of items fitted better than the unidimensional model. However, the high correlation between the dimensions (r=.90) suggested unidimensionality. The structural model showed that the IQCODE was able to differentiate between all patient groups. The IQCODE can be considered as unidimensional and as a useful addition to diagnostic screening in a memory clinic setting, as it was able to distinguish between AD, MCI, and SMC and was not influenced by gender or education. (JINS, 2011, 17, 674–681)

Frontal lobe dysfunctions in Korsakoff's syndrome and chronic alcoholism: Continuity or discontinuity?

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Brokate ◽  
H. Hildebrandt ◽  
P. Eling ◽  
H. Fichtner ◽  
K. Runge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Chronic Alcoholism ◽  
Korsakoff’S Syndrome ◽  
Korsakoff's Syndrome
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