scholarly journals The Newly Normed SKT Reveals Differences in Neuropsychological Profiles of Patients with MCI, Mild Dementia and Depression

Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Lehfeld ◽  
Mark Stemmler
Keyword(s):  
Differential Diagnosis ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Depressed Group ◽  
Test Profiles

The SKT (Syndrom-Kurztest) is a short cognitive performance test assessing deficits of memory and attention in the sense of speed of information processing. The new standardization of the SKT (2015) aimed at improving its sensitivity for early cognitive decline due to dementia in subjects aged 60 or older. The goal of this article is to demonstrate how the neuropsychological test profile of the SKT can be used to provide valuable information for a differential diagnosis between MCI (mild cognitive impairment), dementia and depression. n = 549 patients attending a memory clinic (Nuremberg, Germany) were diagnosed according to ICD-10 and tested with the SKT. The SKT consists of nine subtests, three for the assessment of memory and six for measuring attention in the sense of speed of information processing. The result of the SKT test procedure is a total score, which indicates the severity of overall cognitive impairment. Besides the summary score, two subscores for memory and attention can be interpreted. Using the level of depression as a covariate, statistical comparisons of SKT test profiles between the three patient groups revealed that depressed patients showed more pronounced deficits than MCI patients in all six attention subtests. On the other hand, MCI patients displayed significantly greater mnestic impairment than the depressed group, which was indicated by significant differences in the memory subscore. MCI and dementia patients showed similar deficit patterns dominated by impairment of memory (delayed recall) with MCI patients demonstrating less overall impairment. In sum, the SKT neuropsychological test profiles provided indicators for a differential diagnosis between MCI and beginning dementia vs. depression.

Information-Processing Speed and Assessment of Early Response Latency among Stroke Patients

2000 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Loranger ◽  
Jacques Lussier ◽  
Michel Pépin ◽  
Sandra L. Hopps ◽  
Benoît Sénécal
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Response Latency ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Functional Independence Measure ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing

The development of assessment methods for estimating and predicting amount of functional impairment among stroke patients is important for planning rehabilitation. This study explored the contribution of speed of information processing and response latency in the assessment of 39 stroke patients. Functional impairment was assessed among these patients using the Functional Independence Measure, administered within 72 hours of admission to a rehabilitation center. The correlations between the scores on this measure and on a computerized measure of speed of information processing. Cognitive Performance Test, were examined. The Functional Independence Measure can be used with an acute stroke population. Scores are correlated with cognitive indicators of functional impairment, and scores discriminate between severity of functional impairment. These results are discussed with regard to their implication in monitoring stroke patients throughout rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Cognitive impairment in depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2029-2040 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Rock ◽  
J. P. Roiser ◽  
W. J. Riedel ◽  
A. D. Blackwell
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Low Mood ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Core Feature

BackgroundThis review aimed to address the question of whether cognitive impairment should be considered a core feature of depression that may be a valuable target for treatment.MethodWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive function, assessed with a single neuropsychological test battery, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), in patients with depression during symptomatic and remitted states. Inclusion of studies comparing patients remitted from depression and controls enabled us to investigate whether cognitive impairment persists beyond episodes of low mood in depression.ResultsOur meta-analysis revealed significant moderate cognitive deficits in executive function, memory and attention in patients with depression relative to controls (Cohen's d effect sizes ranging from −0.34 to −0.65). Significant moderate deficits in executive function and attention (Cohen's d ranging from −0.52 to −0.61) and non-significant small/moderate deficits in memory (Cohen's d ranging from −0.22 to −0.54) were found to persist in patients whose depressive symptoms had remitted, indicating that cognitive impairment occurs separately from episodes of low mood in depression.ConclusionsBoth low mood and cognitive impairment are associated with poor psychosocial functioning. Therefore, we argue that remediation of cognitive impairment and alleviation of depressive symptoms each play an important role in improving outcome for patients with depression. In conclusion, this systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates that cognitive impairment represents a core feature of depression that cannot be considered an epiphenomenon that is entirely secondary to symptoms of low mood and that may be a valuable target for future interventions.

The Memory and Attention Test (MAT), an Adaptive, Computer-based Performance Test: Evaluation in Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Control Subjects

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
G. Adler ◽  
M. Bektas ◽  
P. Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Computerized Testing ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
And Control

The Memory and Attention Test (MAT), a newly developed, adaptive, computer-based performance test was evaluated in a mixed group of patients with Alzheimer's dementia, subjects with mild cognitive impairment and control subjects at ages from 60 to 89 years.By means of the MAT, working memory and short-term memory are assessed in the verbal, figural and episodic domains by means of six independent tests individually adjusted to the subjects level of performance on the basis of intermediate results. Sustained attention is also assessed.For evaluation purposes, well established tests for the respective memory domains were applied. They were the Auditory Verbal and Learning Test (AVLT), the Benton Test, the delayed reproduction of the Taylor Figure, the subtests working memory and logical memory of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Alterskonzentrationstest (AKT), a test analogous to the d2 test, especially suited and standardized for older subjects. Acceptance of the MAT was assessed by means of a questionnaire developed for this purpose.Computerized testing was commonly well accepted by the subjects. There were highly significant positive correlations between performance in the MAT domains and performance in the respective reference assessments. Thus, the MAT may be a useful diagnostic tool for the assessment of dementia patients. It may be applied for early diagnosis, assessment of progression of disease and demonstration of treatment effects, particularly for disease-modifying treatments in Alzheimer's disease. Standardization relating to age and and education as well as the provision of versions in various languages are under way.

Cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis predicts worse caregiver’s health-related quality of life

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 1769-1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Labiano-Fontcuberta ◽  
Alex J Mitchell ◽  
Sara Moreno-García ◽  
Julián Benito-León
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Background: Little information exists about how cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients impacts on their caregivers’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Background: The objective of this paper is to examine the extent to which cognitive impairment in MS patients contributes to caregivers’ HRQoL. Methods: A total of 63 MS patients, 63 caregivers and 59 matched controls were recruited. Patients and controls underwent a neuropsychological assessment, including tests of working memory, speed of information processing, executive function, and verbal fluency. HRQoL of the caregivers was assessed by CAREQOL-MS. In logistic regression models, we adjusted for the effects of confounding variables. In these models, the dependent variable was the CAREQOL-MS (higher median of CAREQOL-MS (worse HRQoL) vs. lower median of CAREQOL-MS (better HRQoL) (reference)), and the independent variable was the impairment on each neuropsychological test vs. its integrity (reference). Results: Cognitive impairment in MS patients was significantly associated with worse caregiver HRQoL (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–11.55, p = 0.04). In secondary analyses in which each neuropsychological test was entered in the analyses separately, only Symbol Digit Modalities Test (a measurement of information processing speed) impairment (OR = 4.22, 95%, CI = 1.16–14.53, p = 0.03) was significantly associated with worse caregiver HRQoL. Conclusions: MS patients’ caregivers’ HRQoL is significantly influenced by information processing speed impairment of MS patients.

Cognitive impairment in relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis can be predicted by imaging performed several years earlier

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
MM Summers ◽  
LK Fisniku ◽  
VM Anderson ◽  
DH Miller ◽  
L. Cipolotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Magnetization Transfer ◽  
Magnetization Transfer Ratio ◽  
Lesion Volume ◽  
Significant Variance ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Relapsing Remitting

Cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) are common and correlate with contemporary MRI brain abnormalities, particularly atrophy, but the ability of imaging early in the disease to predict later cognitive impairment remains to be determined. Thirty relapsing—remitting MS patients recruited within three years of the onset of the disease, and in whom MRI had been performed at baseline and a year later, were assessed neuropsychologically five years later. Imaging parameters accounting for significant variance in cognitive performance were identified using multiple regressions, once confounding variables were controlled. Patients performed significantly worse than expected on tests of attention/speed of information processing and half of them had experienced some decline in IQ in relation to premorbid estimates. The rate of global brain atrophy in the first year of the study accounted for significant variance in the overall cognitive performance, and in memory and attention/speed of information processing. Poor performance on attention tests was associated with high T1-weighted lesion volume and reduced magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). These results suggest that neuroaxonal loss was identified early in the disease, and its rate of progression, predicted cognitive impairment later in the disease. Neuroaxonal loss is likely to affect commissural and association fibres that subserve the cognitive processes impaired in MS. Multiple Sclerosis 2008; 14: 197—204. http://msj.sagepub.com

Early cognitive impairment in patients with clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Feuillet ◽  
F Reuter ◽  
B Audoin ◽  
I Malikova ◽  
K Barrau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Clinically Isolated Syndrome ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Processing Language

Cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common occurrence and is generally fairly circumscribed. The prevalence of the cognitive deficits usually encountered could vary with the clinical course of the disease. To investigate whether the presence of cognitive impairment may occur in the very early stage of MS, we assessed the cognitive status of a group of 40 patients presenting with a recently diagnosed clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS (CISSMS), in comparison with 30 age-, sex-, and educational level-matched healthy control subjects. An extensive battery of neuropsychological tests was used to explore verbal and non-verbal memory, attention, concentration, speed of information processing, language and abstract reasoning. Patients with CISSMS had a significant, frequent (57%), and circumscribed cognitive impairment, focused on memory, speed of information processing, attention and executive functions.

Cognitive impairment in relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis: Mostly a matter of speed

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 948-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS R. DENNEY ◽  
SHARON G. LYNCH ◽  
BRETT A. PARMENTER ◽  
NIKKI HORNE
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Primary Progressive ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Interference Test

Based on the assumption that cognitive impairment in MS is consistent with subcortical dementia, a battery of neuropsychological tests was assembled that included measures of executive function (Tower of London and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), verbal learning and memory (a paired associates learning test), and speeded information processing (Stroop Color Word Interference Test). The battery was administered to patients with relapsing and primary progressive MS and to healthy controls. Differences between patients and controls occurred on several of the measures. However, when differences with respect to fatigue and depression were statistically controlled, the only differences that remained significant involved measures relating to the speed of information processing. Patients performed more slowly than controls, with the disparity being greater for relapsing patients than for those with primary progressive disease. The slowing was evident on measures of automatic as well as controlled processing and regardless of whether speed was an explicit feature of successful performance or recorded unobstrusively while the patient concentrated on planning a correct solution to a problem. Parallels were noted between cognitive slowing associated with MS and that of normal aging. (JINS, 2004, 10, 948–956.)

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