Lecture 9: Neuropsychological assessment

Question 1

What is neuropsychology?

Answer 1

The study of the brain and behaviour

Question 2

What does Neuropsychology break down into/

Answer 2

• Assessment
• Diagnoses
• Treatment
• Rehabilitation

Question 3

What is the most common activity of a clinical neuropsychologist?

Answer 3

Neuropsychological assessment

Question 4

What must a neuropsychologist do to assess a person’s neuropsychology?

Answer 4

• Determine the level of cerebral functioning
• Identify the cerebral dysfunction
• Localise the cerebral dysfunction

Question 5

How does one assess a person’s neuropsychology?

Answer 5

• Interviews, observational data, reviews of records, images and neuropsychological measures

Question 6

What does it mean to assess a person’s cognitive ability?

Answer 6

To determine an individual’s current level of functioning, identifying their strengths and limitations

Question 7

What is the process for a neurobehavioral status exam?

Answer 7

• Complaints are presented
• Mini-mental evaluation
• Collateral interviews are then conducted
• A review is made of available records
• A hypothesis is made

Question 8

What comes after the Neurobehavioral status exam?

Answer 8

Testing

Question 9

How does testing work?

Answer 9

The test are selected after the exam and are typically done by a psychometrist

Question 10

What is a psychometrist?

Answer 10

A psychologist who administers scores on psychological tests

Question 11

What comes after testing?

Answer 11

Scoring

Question 12

How does Scoring work?

Answer 12

• A psychometrist will:
• Obtain quantitative results
• Scoring takes half the time of testing
• Using manuals they will obtain standardised scores
• If available, comparison tables are made

Question 13

What is a Neuropsychological assessment popularly known as?

Answer 13

Tests for brain damage

Question 14

What do Neuropsychological evaluations encompass?

Answer 14

A biopsychosocial perspective

Question 15

What is a biopsychosocial perspective?

Answer 15

Analysing the biological, psychological and social factors and their complex interactions

Question 16

What follows scoring?

Answer 16

A Follow-up

Question 17

Who usually conducts a follow-up

Answer 17

A neuropsychologist

Question 18

What happens in a follow-up

Answer 18

• They go over patient strengths and weaknesses
• Create a plan of action to help the patient

Question 19

What does a plan of action for a patient entail?

Answer 19

• Making any necessary changes, depending on the severity.
• Family members are usually present so that they can help with the plan
• Changes can range from, needing a caregiver, changing some habits or being referred

Question 20

How long does a follow up usually last?

Answer 20

3 - 6 months

Question 21

What must be done prior to the first interaction with the patient?

Answer 21

• Organise measures
• Organise materials

Question 22

What are measures?

Answer 22

The way to quantify a psychological trait?

Question 23

What is a neuropsychologist looking for when testing?

Answer 23

The function of certain areas of the brain

Question 24

What is the Lurian Framework?

Answer 24

A theory of brain function and development used in cognitive psychology. It is based on the idea that the brain works as a network of brain structures that work together to organise cognitive function

Question 25

How does Lurian see the brain?

Answer 25

Split into three parts: - Brainstem - Parietal, occipital, temporal lobes - Pre-motor areas, frontal lobes

Question 26

What does the brainstem deal with?

Answer 26

- Attention - Orientation - Effort

Question 27

What does the parietal, occipital and temporal lobes deal with?

Answer 27

- Perception - Visuospatial - Memory

Question 28

What does pre-motor areas, frontal lobe deal with?

Answer 28

- Motor function - Language - Social cognition - Executive function

Question 29

How does the Lurian framework help neuropsychologists?

Answer 29

When testing, if a neuropsychologist sees a problem with certain neurological functions, they can start to pinpoint where the problem is originating from

Question 30

What should a neuropsychologist do when the patient is first introduced to them?

Answer 30

- Introduce themselves - Explain what will be happening - Explain the test that they will be doing

Question 31

What follows the initial rapport with the patient?

Answer 31

Effort testing

Question 32

What is effort testing?

Answer 32

Testing to establish the effort the patient can give

Question 33

What are the two main ways that tests can be administered?

Answer 33

Fixed and Flexible

Question 34

What is a "Fixed" test

Answer 34

When the same test is used on each patient

Question 35

What is the con to fixed tests

Answer 35

Time consuming Expensive Irrelevant

Question 36

What is flexible testing?

Answer 36

When tests are selected based on the patient

Question 37

What are the cons to flexible testing?

Answer 37

Procedural bias Not ideal for large studies

Question 38

What are the two types of results a neuropsychologist will get?

Answer 38

Normative and Repeated testing

Question 39

What are normative results?

Answer 39

- Age, level of education, gender, ethnicity - They are things that you can compare to similar individuals

Question 40

What is repeated testing?

Answer 40

When you establish a baseline of function, which helps determine the rate of deterioration of the patient

Question 41

What are the functions that are assessed by neuropsychologists?

Answer 41

- Achievement - Adaptive function - Attention - Auditory perception - Calculation - Executive function - Language - Memory - Motor function - Orientation - Perception - Reading - Response bias - Sensation - Social cognition - Visuospatial - Writing

Question 42

What is a Trail making test?

Answer 42

Participants see a collection of numbered circles which they have to connect as quickly and as accurately as possible

Question 43

What are the two parts of the trail test?

Answer 43

Part A Part B

Question 44

What does Part A of the trail test measure?

Answer 44

Processing Speed and visual scanning

Question 45

How does Part A of the trail making test work?

Answer 45

Participants must connect the dots in numerical order as fast as they can without lifting the pen off the paper

Question 46

What does Part B of the trail making test measure?

Answer 46

Cognitive shifting

Question 47

How does Part B of the Trail Making Test work?

Answer 47

Participants must connect the numbers numerically, whilst also connecting their alphabetic counterpart at the same time without lifting the pen from the paper (E.G: 1 is connected with A, 2 is connected with B and so on)

Question 48

What is the continuous performance task?

Answer 48

A task that measures attention by continuously requiring contestants to respond to specific stimuli over an extended period of time

Question 49

What is a Cancellation task?

Answer 49

A timed task that sees participants attention and ability to find specific targets

Question 50

What is an Eyes test?

Answer 50

Participants are shown images of eyes and are then given the opportunity to identify what emotion the eyes are portraying through an MCQ

Question 51

What does an Eye test measure?

Answer 51

Social cognition

Question 52

What is social cognition?

Answer 52

The ability to understand and interact with others by perceiving, interpreting and responding to social cues

Question 53

What are Raven's Matrices?

Answer 53

A test in which participants are given a geometric pattern missing a piece. They are then given multiple pieces and have to identify which fits the original geometric pattern. As the test progresses it gets more difficult

Question 54

What does Raven's matrices measure?

Answer 54

Executive function and abstract reasoning