Help Finding Info On Neuropsychometric Test Batteries Please?

[waffle23]

(posted this in neurology too, but this is also neuropsychological in nature too so figured I'd try to get some help here also)

Hi, I'm a rising undergrad sophomore and I am going to be doing clinical research this summer and my goal is to design a repeatable neuropsychometric cognitive research battery of tests for stroke patients. My mentor has given me primary literature to read and I am starting to get a grasp on what my goals are.

Can anyone recommend any good books on neuropsychometric testing that I might be able to find in a local library? Currently I am reading "Principles of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology 2nd. Edition" by M.-Marsel Mesulam. I am on a great chapter that gives an overview of neuropsychometric testing, batteries, tests for specific cognitive domains, etc. What other good literature is out there that is specifically about neuropsychometric testing of cognitive domains?

Specific goals that I have are gathering basic information on each test, the amount of time needed (the battery must not exhaust the patient), the skill level of the examiner needed, etc.

Also, are there any good websites that I can use to search for information on neuropsychometric tests? I basically want to organize my own mini-database of neuropsychometric tests and info attached to them, and then go from there as far as designing one. Thank you!

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[PsyDr]

You are not going to find any.


Tests are highly secured to prevent lay individuals from exploiting the test (e.g., faking a cognitive deficit), practicing to avoid a proper dx, or having non-trained individuals utilize these tests in a nonstandard way. There is also significant financial concern regarding test security. Publishers must invest significant monies to gather normative samples for both control and the relevant population of interest.


There are already standards of care for this in the neuropsych community. If your PI is unaware of these, he/she should contact NAN, AACN, or Div 40. If your PI is unaware of these orgs, then he/she is not properly trained to use these tests.

While I appreciate your enthusiams, it is somewhat presumptive to state that you have a working knowledge of advanced statistcs, neuroanatomy, pathophysiology, cognitive processes, test administration, etc at an undergradaute level. The standard of care to PROPERLY administer , interpret, and design these instruments is 4 yrs of undergrad, 4 years of APA approved doctorate, and 2 yrs of post doc.

 

[erg923]

I can concur. I am not sure why your mentor would put you in charge of such a task. Test selection requires a complex understanding of neuroscience, neuroanatomy, statistics, psychometrics, and the condition being studied. This is not something you can fully master by reading books. I am not sure where you would have gotten this experience. Building a battery without proper training is both dangerous to patients and a violation of the APA ethics. If you want to norm the test on your own as battery, where exactly would you get the resources (financial and time) to norm this? As a comparison, the norming of the new WAIS-IV took two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Designing a comprehensive battery is not a "one man band." If you are using the preexisting norms for each individual test, you need to be aware of the statistical pitfalls of using serperate normative samples for each test. If you've never seen a stroke patients clinically, then I am not sure why someone thinks you could pretend to know how properly assess them neuropsychologically. Also, most neurologists are not knowledgeable about psychometric assessment as they are not trained to do this activity.

There are already well established "fixed" batteries for the assessment of neurologic impairment (ie., Halstead-Retain, Luria- Nebraska, NAB, etc). Moreover, having a fixed battery for stoke makes little sense from a behavioral neurology perspective because the cognitive sequelae of the condition is so heterogeneous. Additionally, the location, duration, and the type of stoke (occlusive vs hemorrhage) play a large factor in the severity and types of symptom presentation. Accordingly, the majority of neuropsychologists in practice utilize a flexible approach to assessment, rather than using fixed batteries. Since the degree of cognitive impairment is variable, one one would need a flexible battery that is adjustable to referral questions and the capabilities of patients. (i.e., stoke patients may have severe limitations in motor skills or expressive language that prohibit use of certain tests). Assessment of stroke patients should be well rounded (i.e.,assessing all domains), but also heavy in subcortical functions and attentional tasks. Anomia and psychomotor slowing are also likely with subcortical dysfunction.

All neuropsych instruments are copyrighted and not in the public domain for obvious reasons. If you would like to learn more about the field of neuropsychology and neuropsychologial assessment, I would recommend Lezak (2005). I would recommend skimming over division 40 guidelines (http://www.div40.org/) and the Houston Conference guidelines in order to see the formal training requirements needed for the practice of neuropsychology and to competently conduct this kind of research.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Both good replies.

 

[myelin]

Lezak (2004) or Strauss (2006) will be about as close to neuropsychological test information that you can get as an undergraduate. As others have mentioned, these tests are protected. See APA ethical standard 9, specifically 9.7 and 9.11

http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html#9_11

If you don't already have knowledge about psychological testing, you are starting your search from the wrong end! Can you tell me what "g" is? Who Spearman and Terman were? Three stratum theory? You'll need to have a firm grasp on these before you start. As well, for neuropsychological testing, you'll need to know about the the brain and how it functions. A good grasp on neuroanatomy is essential. I recommend the human brain coloring book If you're wanting to study stroke patients, you'll need to know about the circulatory system of the brain. What do the carotid arteries do? What is the circle of willis? How many cerebral arteries are there and where are they, and if one is occluded, what can that lead to? What behavioral/cognitive changes might we see?

I can appreciate your determination. Keep it in focus, but I encourage you to start at the beginning so that you'll have a firm understanding. You're way ahead of others being a sophomore. Good luck.

 

[PsyDr]

the circle of willis is what happens when your tivo breaks while watching different strokes, right?

 

[myelin]

the circle of willis is what happens when your tivo breaks while watching different strokes, right?

 

[erg923]

...classic

 

[erg923]

I would also just add to what MYELIN said. You can't start at the top (ie.,neuropsych). Neuropsych assessment is complex integrative assessment requiring knowledge of many many things. Neurology, Psychiatry, statistics, psychometric theory, functional neuroanatomy, etc. If you dont know the basics of clinical assessment, you can't do the rest. Neuropsych builds on the skills of basic integrative clinical assessment. You need to know Spearman, Wechsler, Binet, Cattel "G", psychometric theory, how to spot bad normative data, and how were the norms constructed (administration to all subjects or by using linear regression models)? That last one is especially important for putting a test battery together. In addition to knowledge about functional neuroanatomy, all the different aphasias, and other cognitive issues, you need to be aware of the neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioral complication of stroke and how to assess them. Especially if stroke location was in anterior sections of the brain. For example, how to assess for impulsively, and differentiating true clinical depression from the apathy seen in dorsolateral damage to the frontal lobes after stroke. Do you know how to interpreted the BRIEF, FsBe MMPI, PAI, GDI, or BDI? Do you know the pitfalls and advantages/disadvantages of using either one of these over the other? You cant get this stuff from books over the course of a summer. It takes years of experience.

Keep in mind that assessment of stroke incorporates all these factors, and incomplete knowledge of these issues will lead to naive and flawed test construction. neuropsych builds upon all these basics of general clinical assessment, don't get ahead of yourself and start with the basics and work your way up.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

the circle of willis is what happens when your tivo breaks while watching different strokes, right?

I thought it was when your cable box only shows Bruce Willis movies. All Willis, All The Time!!

 

[myelin]

I thought it was when your cable box only shows Bruce Willis movies. All Willis, All The Time!!

what'choo talkin' 'bout willis?!

 

[PsyDr]

For the rest of my fellow brain nerds:

1) What is a sleeping brain's favorite musical group (rock band)?
REM
2. What does a brain do when it sees a friend across the street?
Gives a brain wave
3. Where does a brain go on vacation?
Hippocampus
4. What did the hippocampus say during its retirement speech?
Thanks for all the memories
5. Why did the action potential cross the optic chiasm?
To get to the other side
6. What did the right hemisphere say to the left hemisphere when they could not agree on anything?
Lets split
7. What do you call a group of brains that form a singing group at school?
A glia group
8. What happens if you break the brain scanner?
You have a CATastrophe
9. What kind of fish performs brain operations?
Neurosturgeon
10. What do you get when you cross a thought with a light bulb?
A bright idea
11. Why do neurons like e-mail?
They like to send and receive a lot of messages
12. Which cranial nerve would be right at home in a well-known city in Nevada?
The vagus nerve
13. Where do brains go for vacation in Massachusetts?
Braintree, MA
14. What did the Hollywood film director say to the young neuron that wanted to be an actor?
Hey Kid, You've got potential
15. What did the Hollywood film director say after he finished making a movie about myelin?
That's a wrap
16. What did the stimulus do to the neuron after they got married?
Carried it over the threshold
17. What works even after it is fired?
A neuron
18. If your dog was a neurologist, what would it do all day?
Perform PET scans
19. Why do action potentials make good volleyball players?
They are always spiking
20. What do you call glia when it is happy?
Smyelin

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

#'s 5 and 20 were my favorite.

 

[myelin]

Is it bad that I find humor in just about all of those esoteric jokes?