Showing papers on "Cognitive test published in 1996"
TL;DR: Low linguistic ability in early life was a strong predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life.
Abstract: Objective. —To determine if linguistic ability in early life is associated with cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Design. —Two measures of linguistic ability in early life, idea density and grammatical complexity, were derived from autobiographies written at a mean age of 22 years. Approximately 58 years later, the women who wrote these autobiographies participated in an assessment of cognitive function, and those who subsequently died were evaluated neuropathologically. Setting. —Convents in the United States participating in the Nun Study; primarily convents in the Milwaukee, Wis, area. Participants. —Cognitive function was investigated in 93 participants who were aged 75 to 95 years at the time of their assessments, and Alzheimer's disease was investigated in the 14 participants who died at 79 to 96 years of age. Main Outcome Measures. —Seven neuropsychological tests and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. Results. —Low idea density and low grammatical complexity in autobiographies written in early life were associated with low cognitive test scores in late life. Low idea density in early life had stronger and more consistent associations with poor cognitive function than did low grammatical complexity. Among the 14 sisters who died, neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease was present in all of those with low idea density in early life and in none of those with high idea density. Conclusions. —Low linguistic ability in early life was a strong predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. (JAMA. 1996;275:528-532)
972 citations
TL;DR: Performance on the most complex task, the Interference subtest of the Stroop, was especially improved after exercise, and the expectancy of the subjects of a potential positive effect of exercise was thought to have been responsible.
Abstract: Stimulating as well as detrimental effects of exercise on cognitive functioning have been reported. In the present study, 15 endurance-trained athletes (aged 18 to 42 years) performed a bicycle ergometer endurance test at 75% of their maximal work capacity (Wmax). Psychomotor and cognitive tests were administered before and immediately after exercise. These consisted of simple reaction time (RT), 3-choice RT and Stimulus-Response (S-R) incompatible RT tasks, a finger-tapping task, and the Stroop test. Simple RT tasks, but also the more complex S-R in compatible RT, and Color Word Interference in the Stroop test showed an increase in speed of performance after exercise relative to baseline. An enhanced activation was probably responsible for this better performance on psychomotor and cognitive tests. Since performance on the most complex task, the Interference subtest of the Stroop, was especially improved after exercise, the expectancy of the subjects of a potential positive effect of exercise was thought to have been responsible.
234 citations
TL;DR: Whether subjective memory complaints, measured with a series of four questions, are associated with performance on cognitive tests is examined.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To examine whether subjective memory complaints, measured with a series of four questions, are associated with performance on cognitive tests.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of individuals, 65 to 85 years of age, who lived in the community of Amsterdam.
PARTICIPANTS: Individuals were selected randomly within 5-year age strata from the patient lists of 30 general practitioners. Of the 4051 participants, 2537 nondepressed and nondemented respondents were included in the analysis.
MEASURES: Four categories of subjective memory complaints were developed on the basis of answers to questions about the presence or absence of memory complaints and memory-related problems in daily functioning. Tests of cognitive function were derived from the subscales of the CAMCOG.
MAIN RESULTS: Individuals with complaints and memory-related problems performed more poorly on tests of memory and memory-related functions. This relationship was strengthened after adjusting for age, sex, and premorbid verbal intelligence, all of which were related to complaint status and to performance on cognitive tests.
CONCLUSION: Simple questions about memory function are related to memory performance in nondepressed, nondemented community-dwelling older people. Subjective memory complaints may be a promising indicator of memory impairment that signals the need for follow-up. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:44–49, 1996.
227 citations
TL;DR: The results indicate that by failing to exclude preclinical dementia, conventional normative studies underestimate the mean, overestimate the variance, and underestimate the effect of age on cognitive measures.
Abstract: Individuals with preclinical dementia have begun to decline cognitively, but still perform within normal limits on cognitive testing. As a group, subjects with preclinical dementia have lower scores on neuropsychological tests than their dementia-free counterparts. This study examines the effects of preclinical dementia on estimates of normal cognitive function in the aged using data from a longitudinal study. Individuals with preclinical dementia at baseline were retrospectively identified based on subsequent development of dementia. Age-adjusted norms were computed using baseline data for the Selective Reminding Test and the WAIS verbal and performance scores, both including (conventional norms) and then excluding (robust norms) preclinical cases. The results indicate that by failing to exclude preclinical dementia, conventional normative studies underestimate the mean, overestimate the variance, and overestimate the effect of age on cognitive measures. Methods are discussed for selecting robust elderly samples that are relatively free of contamination by preclinical dementia.
214 citations
TL;DR: An age-stratified random sample of men and women, aged 55 years and older, was drawn from a community-based population in the rural area of Ballabgarh in northern India, which had little or no education and were largely illiterate.
Abstract: Interpretation of cognitive test performance among individuals from a given population requires an understanding of cognitive norms in that population. Little is known about normative test performance among elderly illiterate non-English-speaking individuals. An age-stratified random sample of men and women, aged 55 years and older, was drawn from a community-based population in the rural area of Ballabgarh in northern India. These Hindi-speaking individuals had little or no education and were largely illiterate. A battery of neuropsychological tests, specially adapted from the CERAD neuropsychological battery, which was administered to this sample, is described. Subjects also underwent a protocol diagnostic examination for dementia. Norms for test performance of 374 nondemented subjects on these tests are reported across the sample and also by age, gender, and literacy.
163 citations
TL;DR: Unawareness of cognitive deficits and unawareness of behavioural problems may constitute independent phenomena in Alzheimer's disease, which is related to the severity of intellectual impairment and the presence of delusional apathetic mood.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To examine the presence of different dimensions of unawareness in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: A consecutive series of 170 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease were assessed with the anosognosia questionnaire-dementia (AQ-D) which includes items related to cognitive deficits and behavioural problems. RESULTS: A factor analysis of the AQ-D produced two factors: a "cognitive unawareness" factor, which loaded on items of memory, spatial and temporal orientation, calculation, abstract reasoning, and praxis, and a "behavioural unawareness" factor which loaded on items of irritability, selfishness, inappropriate emotional display, and instinctive disinhibition. A stepwise forward regression analysis showed significant correlations between the cognitive unawareness factor and more severe cognitive deficits, delusions, and apathy, but less depression. On the other hand, the behavioural unawareness factor correlated significantly with higher mania and pathological laughing scores. Whereas the cognitive unawareness factor showed a significant correlation with cognitive tests assessing verbal comprehension and long term memory, and was significantly associated with a longer duration of illness, no significant correlations were found between the behavioural unawareness factor and the neuropsychological tasks. CONCLUSION: Unawareness of cognitive deficits and unawareness of behavioural problems may constitute independent phenomena in Alzheimer's disease. Whereas unawareness of cognitive deficits is related to the severity of intellectual impairment and the presence of delusional apathetic mood, unawareness of behavioural problems may be part of a disinhibition syndrome.
158 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, home environment, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal cognitive test scores were statistically analyzed in a simple model, and the results showed that the effect of home environment on children's mathematics test scores was large.
Abstract: Determinants of young children's mathematics skills—home environment, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal cognitive test scores—were statistically analyzed in a simple model. Four hypotheses were tested: (a) Home environment, SES, and maternal cognitive test scores each have independent effects on children's mathematics scores, controlling for the other factors; (b) the two-way relationship between maternal test scores and children's mathematics scores will be attenuated by controlling for home environment; (c) the two-way relationship between maternal test scores and children's mathematics scores will be attenuated by controlling for SES; and (d) the two-way relationship between SES and children's mathematics scores will be attenuated by controlling for home environment. The analysis supported each hypothesis. The effect of home environment on children's mathematics test scores was large, even when SES and maternal test scores were controlled. The effects of SES and maternal test scores wer...
142 citations
TL;DR: Age, social class, sensitivity of hearing and history of stroke were also significantly correlated with cognitive test scores, and years of full time education and depression only affected the longer MMSE and CAMCOG.
Abstract: One hundred and fifty unselected elderly community subjects were assessed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) and Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ). The effects on cognitive test scores of potential confounding (non-cognitive) variables were evaluated. Sensitivities and specificities were: MMSE 80% and 98%; AMT 77% and 90%; and MSQ 70% and 89%. The MMSE identified significantly fewer false positives than the AMT and MSQ. The major effect of intelligence on cognitive test scores has previously been underestimated. Age, social class, sensitivity of hearing and history of stroke were also significantly correlated with cognitive test scores. Years of full time education and depression only affected the longer MMSE and CAMCOG. The MMSE (cut-off 20/21) can be recommended for routine screening. However, as scores are affected by variables other than cognitive function, particularly intelligence, further assessment of identified cases may fail to reveal significant functional impairment.
124 citations
TL;DR: Moderate alcohol consumption and measurements of cognitive function and activities of daily living in an older, urban, community‐dwelling sample of black Americans are reported on.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To report on moderate alcohol consumption and measurements of cognitive function and activities of daily living in an older, urban, community-dwelling sample of black Americans.
DESIGN: As part of a community prevalence study of dementia, information on alcohol consumption and cognitive performance was collected on 2040 randomly selected black subjects living in Indianapolis.
MEASUREMENTS: From questions in the screening interview, alcohol consumption was grouped into four categories: lifetime abstainers, regular drinkers less than 4 drinks per week, 4 to 10 drinks per week, and more than 10 drinks per week. Current and past drinkers were analyzed separately. Three measurements were used: (1) a total cognitive score; (2) the delayed recall score from the East Boston Memory Test; (3) a score for daily functioning based upon information from the informant. Multiple regression models were fitted with drinking variables as the major predictor, including covariates of age, gender, education, history of stroke, hypertension, being treated for depression, and a family history of dementia.
MAIN RESULTS: In all analyses, there was a very consistent pattern for both current and past drinkers. There was a small but significant dose effect of drinking for the drinkers, with subjects in the heaviest drinking category scoring poorest, i.e., lowest scores in cognitive tests and highest scores in scales of daily functioning indicating more impairment. The scores of abstainers were worse than those of subjects in the lightest drinking category. The pattern of scores for cognitive performance and daily functioning was similar between current and past drinkers. These patterns remained the same even after potential confounders were included.
CONCLUSIONS: Previous research on effects of alcohol on health indices have suggested a J-shaped relationship between amounts of alcohol consumption and measurements of heart disease, stroke, and mortality rates. Our study provides some support for the concept of a similar J-shaped relationship between cognitive performance and alcohol consumption, but the differences between drinking categories were modest and the clinical significance of these findings uncertain.
109 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identified 12 scales measuring cognitive impairment as a continuum, and four instruments for diagnosing dementia on the basis of informant data, and concluded that informant-based measures tap a global factor of cognitive impairment, are highly reliable, correlate with cognitive tests, and discriminate demented from nondemented subjects.
101 citations
TL;DR: The validity of informant ratings of cognitive decline collected by means of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) is supported.
Abstract: Summary Formal assessment of cognitive decline with cognitive tests can be difficult, requiring either two measurement points or a comparison of 'hold' with 'don't hold' tests. Informant-based assessment provides an alternative approach because informants can adopt a longitudinal perspective and directly rate cognitive change. A study was carried out to assess the validity of informant ratings collected by means of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). A community sample of 500 subjects aged 74 or over underwent four cognitive tests on two occasions 3^ years apart. On the second occasion, informants filled out the IQCODE. Subjects rated as having moderate or severe decline were found to have greater change on the cognitive tests. These findings support the validity of informant ratings of cognitive decline.
TL;DR: The finding that ERT was associated with a slightly higher level of performance on only one of three measures offers little support for the hypothesis that ERt has a major protective effect on cognitive function in women less than 68 years of age.
Abstract: The association of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) with cognitive functioning was assessed in 6,110 women aged 48-67 years participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a multicenter longitudinal investigation. ERT was evaluated in relation to results of three cognitive tests (the Delayed Word Recall (DWR) Test, the Digit Symbol Subtest of the Wechsler Adult intelligence Scale-Revised (DSS/WAIS-R), and the Word Fluency (WF) Test) using data from the first follow-up visit of the cohort (1990-1992). No consistent associations were seen between ERT and either the DWR test or the DSS/WAIS-R after adjusting for age, education, and additional covariates previously found to be associated with cognitive function scores. Among surgically menopausal women aged 48-57 years, adjusted mean WF scores were slightly greater in ERT current users (mean WF 35.9) than in never users (mean WF 33.5) (p < 0.02); and within current users, adjusted WF scores increased with duration of ERT use. However, the finding that ERT was associated with a slightly higher level of performance on only one of three measures offers little support for the hypothesis that ERT has a major protective effect on cognitive function in women less than 68 years of age. The generalizability of these findings to older women who are more likely to experience cognitive decline and who may be using ERT for longer periods of time is limited by the relatively young age of the cohort.
TL;DR: This paper found that educational background and the intellectual ability required to learn complex concepts, such as models of mental illness, appear to be more important than previously considered for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Abstract: BACKGROUND There is a paucity of research into the relationship between insight and variables including cognitive function, educational background and symptomatology in schizophrenia.
METHOD Sixty-four patients with DSM-III-R diagnosis schizophrenia were assessed with the Schedule for Assessment of Insight, Mini Mental State cognitive test, a new measure of knowledge about treatment (the Understanding of Medication Questionnaire), and educational background and compliance assessments.
RESULTS Insight scores correlated significantly with a range of variables. In a multiple regression analysis only knowledge about treatment and number of years in education explained a significant proportion of insight.
CONCLUSION Educational background and the intellectual ability required to learn complex concepts, such as models of mental illness, appear to be more important than previously considered. Research is limited by the lack of a generally accepted definition of insight.
TL;DR: As a group, clinically asymptomatic adults with the Huntington's disease mutation do not display neuropsychological deficits when studied over a two year interval, however, persons who are likely nearing clinical onset of Huntington’s disease may develop minor deficits in selected cognitive domains before they reach threshold for diagnosis.
Abstract: This study examined whether neuropsychological changes emerge over time in asymptomatic adults who have the Huntington's disease mutation. We also evaluated whether scores on cognitive tests or psychological symptom scales varied as a function of CAG repeat length or proximity to disease onset. Twenty two healthy "mutation positive" and 37 "mutation negative" adults completed cognitive tests and psychological rating scales before disclosure of their genetic test results and on an annual basis thereafter. Repeated measures ANOVAs analysed differences between the two groups over three assessments. Correlations of cognitive and psychological symptom test scores with estimated number of years to disease onset and CAG repeat length were computed. The two groups did not differ at study entry; nor did they differ in the rate of change over time. Tests of sustained attention and mental speed correlated with estimated years to disease onset, but not with repeat length. As a group, clinically asymptomatic adults with the Huntington's disease mutation do not display neuropsychological deficits when studied over a two year interval. However, persons who are likely nearing clinical onset of Huntington's disease may develop minor deficits in selected cognitive domains before they reach threshold for diagnosis.
TL;DR: Both cognitive testing and informant report are efficient methods of screening for dementia in clinical settings and the performance of the Antisaccadic Eye Movement Test precludes recommending its use as a screen for dementia without further research into its performance.
Abstract: Objective: To compare 3 approaches to screening for dementia: cognitive testing, informant report, and neurovisual assessment in a clinical environment. Setting: A university hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. Patients: Subjects were 76 patients admitted to the Geriatric Hospital or outpatients assessed at the Memory Clinic of the Hospitals of the University of Geneva School of Medicine in Geneva, Switzerland. Thirty-three met criteria for dementia and 11 for depression based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised. Main Outcome Measures: Performance in French-language versions of the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, and the Clinical Antisaccadic Eye Movement Test. Results: All tests significantly discriminated cases of dementia from noncases. The receiver operator characteristic analysis demonstrated that the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly were more efficient screening measures for dementia than the Antisaccadic Eye Movement Test in this setting. Unlike the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly was unrelated to patients' educational attainment or premorbid intelligence. The previously reported strong relationship between the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Antisaccadic Eye Movement Test was not replicated in these patients. Conclusions: Both cognitive testing and informant report are efficient methods of screening for dementia in clinical settings. Factors such as sensorimotor disability or informant availability may dictate the viability of each approach in individual application. The performance of the Antisaccadic Eye Movement Test precludes recommending its use as a screen for dementia without further research into its performance.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The present study addressed the evaluation of change in drivers' cognitive ability and how this impacts driver safety by means of detailed laboratory and on-road driving evaluations and found a type of selective visual attention emerged as the best single predictor of driving performance.
Abstract: One essential question in the issue of older driver safety involves assessment of driving skills. The present study addressed this question and, more specifically, the evaluation of change in drivers' cognitive ability and how this impacts driver safety. One hundred twenty-three subjects were evaluated by means of detailed laboratory and on-road driving evaluations. Ninety-one subjects were volunteers and reflected the general driving population over age 55. Thirty-two subjects had probable Alzheimer-type dementia and were referred by specialty clinics. A series of computer-administered cognitive tests were found to correlate significantly with driving performance. Most of the same measures were correlated with age. Among these, a type of selective visual attention (useful field of view) emerged as the best single predictor of driving performance. Other indices of driving difficulty included driver reports of low annual mileage, and drivers' receipt of a recommendation (from anyone) to stop driving. The oldest drivers more frequently failed to meet road-test driving standards, drove fewer annual miles, and used more compensatory strategies. The potential usefulness of single or combined cognitive screening measures is presented, along with a discussion of the relative merits of function versus age-based evaluation.
TL;DR: Findings suggest that women were more vulnerable than men to the effects of age and smoking raises the question of the impact on cognition of accelerated atherosclerosis after the menopause.
Abstract: This study aims to describe factors associated with cognitive decline among 2584 subjects, aged 65-74, who were followed up for 54 months in the Medical Research Council Elderly Hypertension Trial (1982-1989). The subjects completed a cognitive test, the Paired Associate Learning Test (PALT), five times over this period. Decline on the PALT was associated with advanced age, male sex, rural residence, depression and low intelligence. These effects were modified by gender and level of pre-morbid intelligence. Advanced age, rural residence and number of cigarettes smoked daily were only associated with PALT decline among women of below median intelligence. The association between depression and PALT decline was only apparent in women of below median intelligence and men of above median intelligence. While these findings are consistent with other research into cognitive decline, they differ in some ways from reported risk factors for dementia, suggesting aetiological separateness. That women were more vulnerable than men to the effects of age and smoking raises the question of the impact on cognition of accelerated atherosclerosis after the menopause.
TL;DR: Acute hyperglycaemia results in impairment of complex cognitive function in children with IDDM, which may have important implications for school performance.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE The effects of acute hyperglycaemia on cognitive function in children remain controversial. This study was designed to investigate the suggestion that acute hyperglycaemia impairs cognition in IDDM children. DESIGN To examine this question we studied 12 randomly selected children with IDDM (6 boys, 6 girls, mean age 12.4 years). Cognitive performance was assessed on two occasions at least six months apart (7.4 +/- 1.4 mths, range: 6.3-11.1 mths) under randomised conditions of hyperglycaemia (20-30 mmol/l) on one occasion and euglycaemia (5-10 mmol/l) on the other. Target glucose levels were achieved using a modified clamp technique with subjects and psychologist blinded to the glycaemic level. Cognitive tests chosen to assess performance skills were subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-3rd Edition (WISC-111). RESULTS No significant learning effect was present. However, there was a reduction in performance IQ at hyperglycaemia compared with euglycaemia (106 +/- 4.3 vs 112 +/- 4.5 IQ points respectively, p < 0.05). Under hyperglycaemic conditions the mean decrease in percentile score for performance IQ was 9.5%. Of the 12 children tested, 8 had a decrease in IQ when hyperglycaemic, which was independent of duration of diabetes and long term metabolic control assessed by HbA1c. CONCLUSION Acute hyperglycaemia results in impairment of complex cognitive function in children with IDDM. This may have important implications for school performance.
TL;DR: In this paper, a battery of paper-and-pencil elementary cognitive tests (ECTs) was used to evaluate the mental speed-IQ correlation. But the results showed only weak evidence for ECT-intelligence correlations with the same content to be largest, which rather supports the singularity of mind view.
TL;DR: In this paper, the generalizability of several test types for a sample of craft jobs in the utility industry was investigated and the results indicated that cognitive tests seemed to generalize well across all the job types studied.
Abstract: This study looked at the generalizability of several test types for a sample of craft jobs in the utility industry. Results indicated that, in line with previous research, cognitive tests seemed to generalize well across all the job types studied. On the other hand, perceptual and psychomotor tests also seemed to generalize for assembly and less skilled jobs. Combining these test types into batteries for future studies is indicated.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate possible effects of visual information on non-music students' affective and cognitive responses to music and find that visual information can affect non-musical students' response to music.
Abstract: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate possible effects of visual information on nonmusic students' affective and cognitive responses to music. Excerpts were selected from composi...
TL;DR: A computer-assisted cognitive training program was used to treat a 13-year-old Caucasian male with Attention Deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for 35 sessions.
Abstract: A computer-assisted cognitive training program was used to treat a 13-year-old Caucasian male with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder The subject was administered a cognitive training computer program, Captain's Log, for 35 sessions Pre/post differences on the Conners Parent Rating Scale revealed a decrease on all subscales The scores on the Conners Teacher Rating Scale were less conclusive Electrophysiological testing on the A620 EEG/Neurofeedback revealed a reduction in EMG, theta, and beta wave amplitudes However, the theta/beta ratio increased A 7-month follow-up revealed that most of the acquired gains were maintained, but at a slightly lower level
TL;DR: This experiment examined the ability of neuropsychological and behavioral tests of anterior brain functioning to predict changes in alcohol-related behaviors 3 years after the initial evaluation, and found that scores from the WENDER behavioral checklist predicted future changes in the MAST scores.
Abstract: This experiment examined the ability of neuropsychological and behavioral tests of anterior brain functioning to predict changes in alcohol-related behaviors 3 years after the initial evaluation. One hundred four young adult subjects, sixty-six of whom had a positive family history of alcoholism, filled out the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), self-rated the frequency with which they consumed alcohol, and completed a retrospective test of childhood hyperactivity/impulsivity/conduct problems (Wender Behavioral Checklist). Eighty-three of the subjects also completed a neuropsychological battery consisting of cognitive tests of executive functioning (i.e., Trails, Categories Test, Similarities) and motor tests (i.e., TPT, hand dynamometer, finger tapping). Subjects returned to complete the alcohol-related measures during a second testing session 3 years later. Changes in MAST scores, and in alcohol consumption, between the first and second test session were computed, and median splits classified subjects into "high" versus "low" change groups. After factor analysis of the cognitive and behavioral data, hierarchical logistic regression equations assessed the ability of the cognitive and behavioral variables, as well as the presence of a positive family history of alcoholism, to predict future changes in the alcohol outcome measures. Scores from the WENDER behavioral checklist predicted future changes in the MAST scores (p = 0.0026), with more impaired scores associated with higher MAST scores. Tests of executive functioning, in subjects with a positive family history of alcoholism, predicted alcohol consumption (p = 0.033). None of the other predictor variables showed any relationship to the alcohol-related outcome measures.
TL;DR: The cognitive and psychiatric features of the patients suggests that neuroacanthocytosis is a frontosubcortical type of dementia.
Abstract: Objective: To identify the neuropsychological profiles of patients with neuroacanthocytosis. Patients: The medical files of 19 previously reported cases of neuroacanthocytosis were reviewed. Ten of the patients involved had undergone comprehensive cognitive assessments, and their neuropsychological records formed the basis of the present study. Data Extraction: Data on discrepancies between estimated optimal and obtained measures of general intelligence and scores on focal cognitive tests of memory, language, visual perception, and frontal lobe executive skills were tabulated and interpreted. Results: Eight of the patients had evidence of general intellectual deterioration. Five patients presented with memory impairment, two of whom showed visuoperceptual deficits. None of the patients showed any significant high-level language deficits. The most consistent findings across cases was evidence of impairment in frontal lobe executive skills and psychiatric morbidity. Conclusion: The cognitive and psychiatric features of the patients suggests that neuroacanthocytosis is a frontosubcortical type of dementia.
TL;DR: Spouses living with demented patients were the best at estimating the overall severity of cognitive impairment, whereas both first-degree and second-degree relatives were better at identifying and reporting the severity of memory impairment and topographical disorientation.
Abstract: Summary By comparing data obtained from the carers of 170 community-resident dementia sufferers with the results of objective cognitive testing, we assessed carer awareness of a range of cognitive deficits in their dependants. Spouses living with demented patients were the best at estimating the overall severity of cognitive impairment, whereas both first-degree (particularly if living with the dementia sufferer) and second-degree relatives were better at identifying and reporting the severity of memory impairment and topographical disorientation. Only one carer was aware of problems with object recognition, although a definite problem was detected in at least 40% of the study group. The testing instruments used (MMSE and CAMCOG) probably under-detected dysnomia and appeared to be inconclusive when compared with carer reports of difficulties that could be attributable to dyspraxia, highlighting the problem of sole reliance on either these instruments or informant accounts to obtain accurate clinical information.
TL;DR: Though the two groups exhibited different cognitive profiles, differences in cognitive abilities could not account for the difference in linguistic ability.
TL;DR: In this article, the Cattell Culture Fair test was used to measure the ability of humans to perform 15 different cognitive tasks with scores ranging from 11 to 40 points on the test.
TL;DR: Against expectations, with two of three measurements no significant correlations were found between negative symptoms and cognitive performance, but with these two measurements a curvilinear association was observed, suggesting that negative symptoms are not a unitary concept.
TL;DR: The performance of individuals with severe psychiatric disturbance on tests designed to detect malingering of cognitive symptoms has not been formally investigated, and both RDC and F-C performances were related to presence of cognitive impairment, and the RDC was also significantly affected by increasing age.
Abstract: The performance of individuals with severe psychiatric disturbance such as schizophrenia on tests designed to detect malingering of cognitive symptoms (e.g., Rey 15-Item Memory Test, RMT; Rey Dot C...
TL;DR: In this paper, an extension of Tatsuoka's (1985) ζ index-generalzed ζs-and discusses their statistical properties in the context of cognitive diagnosis is presented.
Abstract: Person-fit indexes have often been used for detecting aberrant response patterns resulting from unusual behavior such as cheating. Because the focus of these indexes is on an individual's performance on a test rather than on sample statistics, they should be able to be used for cognitive diagnosis. However, cognitive theories show that a number of different sources of misconception affect test performance, and some misconceptions can be seen in many class- rooms. Therefore, application of person-fit statistics to cognitive diagnosis requires a special consideration, whereby we have to detect "normal" and "usual" response patterns resulting from several sources of misconception that are frequently observed among students. This study shows a solution for this problem by introducing an extension of Tatsuoka's (1985) ζ index-generalzed ζs-and discusses their statistical properties in the context of cognitive diagnosis.