Commentary on Levels of Education and Normative Data in Neuropsychological Tests

Abstract Objective Hispanics are a rapidly growing and aging segment of the US population. There is a critical need to accurately and efficiently detect those at risk for dementia, particularly those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI diagnosis typically relies on neuropsychological tests, although cultural and linguistic factors impact neuropsychological test scores. The current study reviews neuropsychological studies on MCI in Hispanics to evaluate the factors in testing for MCI diagnosis. Participants and Method Studies were identified from a literature search utilizing Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, using search terms “Hispanic OR Mexican American” and “Mild Cognitive Impairment,” and from the reference sections of studies identified through this search. Studies utilizing neuropsychological tests in the diagnosis of MCI for Hispanics living in the US were identified and reviewed. Approaches for sample characterization (e.g., country of origin and of education, literacy, language preference and proficiency), neuropsychological test methods (e.g., test selection and translation, normative data source), and method of MCI diagnosis were reviewed. Results Considerable variability was found across studies with regard to the incorporation – and the method of incorporation – of cultural factors and their consideration in the MCI diagnosis process for Hispanics. For example, several studies did not report their sample’s country of education, source of normative data used for determination of cognitive impairment, or method of test adaptation/translation. Conclusions Diagnosis of MCI in Hispanics has been complicated by a dearth of culturally appropriate neuropsychological assessment tools and normative data, which likely contributes to inconsistency across studies. Future studies are needed to further develop culturally appropriate neuropsychological methods to evaluate MCI in Hispanics in the US and to improve diagnostic accuracy in this population.

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Development, Spanish Normative Data, and Validation of a Social Cognition Battery in Prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa114 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alfonso Delgado-Álvarez ◽

Vanesa Pytel ◽

Cristina Delgado-Alonso ◽

Carmen María Olbrich-Guzmán ◽

Ana Cortés-Martínez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Social Cognition ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data ◽

Reactivity Index ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Prodromal Ad ◽

Prodromal Alzheimer’S Disease

Abstract Objectives The assessment of social cognition changes may be challenging, especially in the earliest stages of some neurodegenerative diseases. Our objective was to validate a social cognition battery from a multidomain perspective. In this regard, we aimed to adapt several tests, collect normative data, and validate them in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods A total of 92 healthy controls, 25 prodromal AD, and 39 MS patients were enrolled. Age-, gender-, and education-matched control groups were created for comparisons. Social cognition battery was composed of an emotion-labeling task developed from FACES database, the Story-based Empathy test (SET), the Faux Pas test, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Patients were also evaluated with a comprehensive cognitive battery to evaluate the other cognitive domains. Automatic linear modeling was used to predict each social cognition test’s performance using the neuropsychological tests examining other cognitive domains. Results The reliability of the battery was moderate-high. Significant intergroup differences were found with medium-large effect sizes. Moderate correlations were found between social cognition battery and neuropsychological tests. The emotion labeling task and SET showed moderate correlations with age and education, and age, respectively. Regression-based norms were created considering the relevant demographic variables. Linear regression models including other neuropsychological tests explained between 7.7% and 68.8% of the variance of the social cognition tests performance. Conclusions Our study provides a battery for the assessment of social cognition in prodromal AD and MS with Spanish normative data to improve the evaluation in clinical and research settings.

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

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617709990269 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 695-703 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

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.)

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Chronic fatigue syndrome: Normative data and data trends for neuropsychological tests Peck, E. A, Mitchell, S. A., & Baber, C.

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1016/s0887-6177(97)83643-8 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 384

Keyword(s):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Fatigue Syndrome

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Normative data for eight neuropsychological tests based on a Danish sample

Scandinavian Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1111/j.1467-9450.1989.tb01066.x ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 37-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

HENRY NIELSEN ◽

LONE KNUDSEN ◽

OLE DAUGBJERG

Keyword(s):

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data

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Normative data for CHI patients on selected neuropsychological tests

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/4.2.140a ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 140-141

Author(s):

E. Peck ◽

S. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data

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Visuospatial processing impairment following mild COVID-19

10.1101/2021.02.18.21251442 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jonas Jardim de Paula ◽

Rachel Elisa Rodrigues Pereira Paiva ◽

Danielle de Souza Costa ◽

Nathália Gualberto Souza e Silva ◽

Daniela Valadão Rosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data ◽

Control Design ◽

Case Control ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Immediate Recall ◽

Visuospatial Processing ◽

Moderate Difference

AbstractSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection causes coronavirus disease 2019. COVID-19 was an unknown infection that reached pandemic proportions in 2020 and has shown to bring long-term negative consequences. Here, we used a case-control design to investigate the performance of relatively young people recovered from COVID 19 in objective neuropsychological tests. We found significant differences between groups for all measures of the ROCFT with a large difference in the copy, a moderate difference in immediate recall, and a large difference in delayed recall. No significant differences were found for the measures from all the other five neuropsychological tests used.About one quarter of COVID 19 patients were below the 10th percentile according to normative data.

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Determining Filipino Normative Data for a Battery of Neuropsychological Tests: The Filipino Norming Project (FNP)

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra ◽

10.1159/000500519 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 260-270

Author(s):

Jacqueline Cotoong Dominguez ◽

Thien Kieu Thi Phung ◽

Ma. Fe Payno de Guzman ◽

Krizelle Cleo Fowler ◽

Macario Reandelar Jr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Test Battery ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Neuropsychological Test Battery ◽

The Mean ◽

Effect Of Age

Background: Filipino normative data for neuropsychological tests are lacking. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the Filipino normative data for the Filipino Norming Project (FNP) Neuropsychological Battery, combining the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) and the Neuropsychological Test Battery from the Uniform Dataset of Alzheimer’s Disease Center (UDS-ADC). Methods: We recruited participants 60 years and older with normal cognition (MMSE score of 25 and above and did not fulfill criteria for dementia according to DSM-IV criteria). Psychologists administered the tests to the study participants. We conducted multivariate analyses to study the effect of age, gender, and education on test performance. Results: A total of 191 participants underwent the FNP Neuropsychological Test Battery. The mean age was 68.8 years (SD 5.4). The majority were female (84.1%). The mean score of ADAS-Cog was 9.98 (SD 4.74). The effect of education was prominent throughout the cognitive domains tested while the effect of age was limited to a few cognitive domains. The mean ADAS-Cog scores were 11.80 ± 4.40 for primary education, 9.93 ± 5.08 for secondary, and 8.15 ± 3.95 for tertiary. On average, women scored 2.75 points lower than men and performed better on the verbal components. Men performed better on the constructional praxis component. The same effect of education and gender was observed for the UDS-ADC. Conclusion: For the first time, normative data are available for the ADAS-Cog and UDS-ADC for a Filipino older population. This study stresses the importance of establishing population-specific normative data, taking into account the specific sociocultural and linguistic context of that population.

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Normative data for a brief neuropsychological battery administered to English- and Spanish-speaking community-dwelling elders

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617798003117 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 311-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

LAURIE STRICKS ◽

JOHN PITTMAN ◽

DIANE M. JACOBS ◽

MARY SANO ◽

YAAKOV STERN

Keyword(s):

Test Performance ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Normative Data ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Neuropsychological Battery ◽

Neuropsychological Measures ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

Wide Range ◽

English Speaking ◽

Washington Heights

The use of neuropsychological tests in non-English-speaking populations and among those with less education has been limited because most tests have been standardized for English-speaking populations with relatively high levels of education. In effort to establish norms, a battery of neuropsychological tests was administered, in either English or Spanish, to 995 normal elders with a wide range of educational attainment, residing in the community of Washington Heights–Inwood in northern Manhattan. Results indicate that age, education, and language all influence test performance and should be considered when evaluating neuropsychological measures. (JINS, 1998, 4, 311–318.)

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