Validation study of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Czech version

Abstract Objective This study examined whether practice effects caused by repeated exposure to test materials during serial assessment significantly impacts the performance of adults with chronic severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI), given the severe memory impairment typical of this population. This study sought to describe the pattern of practice effects on repeat neuropsychological testing for this population. It was hypothesized that practice effects would be diminished for individuals with chronic sTBI. Method This study utilized longitudinal archival data collected as part of an annual neuropsychological assessment battery administered to 43 individuals receiving post-acute rehabilitation services at a structured multisite day treatment program. Each participant was tested at two time points which differed by an average of 13 months. The battery consisted of the Texas Functional Living Scale (TFLS), Trail Making Test (TMT), Brief Mood Survey, Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Screening Module (NAB-SN), and Judgment subtest from the NAB Executive Functions Module (NAB Judgment). Results Practice effects were determined based on reliable improvement (p < .05) in scores across test administrations. A Reliable Change Index (RCI) was calculated for each test based on the method proposed by Jacobson and Truax (1991). Results revealed reliable improvements in performance for the NAB-SN Attention domain (RCI = 3.69), NAB Judgment subtest (RCI = 10.14), and TFLS Total Score (RCI = 4.38). Conclusion This study indicates that adults with chronic sTBI demonstrate significant practice effects primarily on measures associated with functional living skills. These findings suggest that repeat testing in this population may be less susceptible to the influence of practice effects.

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The neuropsychological assessment battery (NAB) is a valuable tool for evaluating neuropsychological outcome after aneurysmatic subarachnoid hemorrhage

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-020-02003-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Johannes Walter ◽

Martin Grutza ◽

Lidia Vogt ◽

Andreas Unterberg ◽

Klaus Zweckberger

Keyword(s):

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Return To Work ◽

Neuropsychological Assessment ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Neuropsychological Deficits ◽

Optimal Timing ◽

Assessment Battery ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Neuropsychological Assessment Battery

Abstract Background Detecting and treating neuropsychological deficits after aneurysmatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) play a key role in regaining independence; however, detecting deficits relevant to social and professional reintegration has been difficult and optimal timing of assessments remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility of administering the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery screening module (NAB-S) to patients with aSAH, assessed its value in predicting the ability to return to work and characterized clinical as well as neuropsychological recovery over the period of 24 months. Methods A total of 104 consecutive patients treated for aSAH were recruited. After acute treatment, follow up visits were conducted at 3, 12 and 24 months after the hemorrhage. NAB-S, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and physical examination were performed at each follow up visit. Results The NAB-S could be administered to 64.9, 75.9 and 88.9% of the patients at 3, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Moderate impairment of two or more neuropsychological domains (e.g speech, executive function, etc.) significantly correlated with inability to return to work at 12 and 24 months as well as poor outcome assessed by the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) at 3, 12 and 24 months. The number of patients with favorable outcomes significantly increased from 25.5% at discharge to 56.5 and 57.1% at 3 and 12 months, respectively, and further increased to 74.1% after 24 months. Conclusion The NAB-S can be administered to the majority of patients with aSAH and can effectively detect clinically relevant neuropsychological deficits. Clinical recovery after aSAH continues for at least 24 months after the hemorrhage which should be considered in the design of future clinical trials.

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