Archives Of Clinical Neuropsychology[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Clinical applicability of the BT2-NPS for assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms across the Alzheimer's disease continuum.
Carrión N, Heredia L, Peña-Casanova J … +1 more , Torrente M
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 May · PMID 42089777 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the clinical applicability of the Barcelona-2 Test Neuropsychiatric Symptomatology Scale (BT2-NPS) in a Spanish population comprising healthy controls (HC), individuals with single-...
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the clinical applicability of the Barcelona-2 Test Neuropsychiatric Symptomatology Scale (BT2-NPS) in a Spanish population comprising healthy controls (HC), individuals with single-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Specifically, the study sought to characterize the distinct trajectories of neuropsychiatric symptoms (Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia [BPSD]) across the cognitive continuum and evaluate the scale's diagnostic utility. METHOD: A total of 37 HC, 31 aMCI, and 76 AD participants, aged 60-85 years, were assessed using the BT2-NPS. Quade's test (controlling for age and education) was used to examine the differences in BT2-NPS scores across diagnostic groups and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) stages. Symptom progression was analyzed descriptively to identify patterns, and partial convergent validity was explored using the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). RESULTS: The BT2-NPS Total score significantly differentiated between diagnostic groups and GDS stages. Three distinct symptom patterns emerged: a "Severity-Dependent" Pattern (e.g., apathy, insight loss) increasing linearly with severity; an "Inverted-U Pattern" (e.g., anxiety, depression) peaking in prodromal stages before declining; and a "Late-Emergence Pattern" (e.g., hallucinations) appearing only in advanced stages. No gender differences were observed. Correlations with self-reported GADS were weak. CONCLUSION: Findings support the BT2-NPS as a clinically meaningful tool for staging BPSD in older adults. Crucially, the study demonstrates that affective symptoms may decline in later stages not due to clinical remission, but due to the progression of apathy and loss of insight. The scale captures this complex behavioral landscape, contributing to more personalized and compassionate care approaches.
Effects of multilevel neuropsychological group intervention (EXAT) in children with executive functioning and attention deficits: a comparative study with typically developing controls.
Vierikko E, Takio F, Rantanen K
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 42047306 · Full text
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of the multilevel EXAT (Rehabilitation of Executive Function and Attention) intervention on executive function (EF) in Finnish children with EF and attention deficits, compared...
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of the multilevel EXAT (Rehabilitation of Executive Function and Attention) intervention on executive function (EF) in Finnish children with EF and attention deficits, compared to typically developing (TD) controls who received no EF intervention. METHOD: The study included 59 children aged 7-12 years with EF deficits and 78 age-matched non-intervention TD controls. The EXAT intervention lasted 9 months and comprised weekly sessions for children, monthly parent sessions, and 2-3 school consultations. Parent-rated EF intervention effects were assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Baseline and post-assessment BRIEF T-scores were compared between groups using t-tests, reliable change indices were calculated for individual EF changes, and linear regression analyses were used to explore associations between background variables and EF changes. RESULTS: Children in the EXAT group showed significant improvements across all BRIEF indices and subscales, with small to moderate effect sizes. Individual-level analysis indicated that 22%-41% of participants achieved reliable EF improvements, mainly those with severe initial deficits. The control group exhibited minor, clinically insignificant changes. CONCLUSION: EXAT positively impacted EF, especially in behavior regulation and metacognition among children with substantial deficits. However, about one-quarter continued to experience EF challenges after the intervention. Findings highlight the importance of individualized assessment and intervention planning within group settings to address diverse EF profiles. Tailoring support to each child's strengths and weaknesses is essential for optimizing outcomes. Further research with larger, diverse samples and multi-informant assessments is needed to confirm results and examine long-term effects.
Non-fluent agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia in a bilingual Mandarin/English speaker: a case report.
Zhang BY, Ortiz BL, Peery S
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 42041196 · Full text
OBJECTIVE: Non-fluent agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) is a neurodegenerative condition associated with effortful speech and agrammatism in language production. The neuropsychological assessment...
OBJECTIVE: Non-fluent agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) is a neurodegenerative condition associated with effortful speech and agrammatism in language production. The neuropsychological assessment and diagnosis of nfvPPA in bilingual patients is not well characterized. This case report describes a 66-year-old bilingual Mandarin/English speaking male patient who experienced gradual progression of aphasia in both languages with initial preferential sparing of Mandarin. METHOD: The patient was seen for a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation administered primarily in Mandarin Chinese with select subtests in English. Language functioning was assessed using the Bilingual Aphasia Screening Test. RESULTS: Consistent with a diagnosis of nfvPPA, the patient's neuropsychological assessment revealed agrammatism, apraxia of speech, and impaired comprehension of complex commands. Preserved language abilities included single-word comprehension, object knowledge, and lexical discrimination. In other domains, verbal and visual memory were impaired, while attention, processing speed, visuospatial skills, and motor functioning were preserved. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to assess for nfvPPA in bilingual patients. This case also has implications for understanding the clinical presentation and progression of symptoms for bilingual patients, highlighting the complex interaction between neurodegeneration and bicultural language representation.
Re-establishing and refining baseline neuropsychological test data among professional hockey players: part 1 - primary language based normative values and language-based differences.
Echemendia RJ, Riegler KE, Meeuwisse W … +5 more , Harmon KG, Comper P, Delaney JS, Hutchison MG, Bruce J
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41990110 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: To create contemporary, culturally responsive paper-and-pencil (PnP) baseline reference values for evaluating concussed National Hockey League (NHL) players. METHODS: Players were stratified by language groups...
OBJECTIVE: To create contemporary, culturally responsive paper-and-pencil (PnP) baseline reference values for evaluating concussed National Hockey League (NHL) players. METHODS: Players were stratified by language groups then randomly selected from club rosters to complete the NHL/NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) PnP test battery during 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 pre-season training camps (oversampling Primary Non-English Language Speakers; PNELS). The final sample consisted of 305 players: 114 Primary English Language Speakers (PELS) and 191 PNELS. Using these samples, language specific normative data were created. RESULTS: Overall significant test score differences were observed between language groups on: Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R; HVLT-R Total, HVLT-R Delay), Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT)-Total Correct, Verbal Fluency, Trails B, Digit Span Forward/Backward. In contrast, Brief Visual Motor Test-Revised (BVMT-R) scores were generally consistent across language groups. Most pairwise differences were observed between PELS and PNELS players. Differences with small to medium effects were also observed between NHL 2024 Renorming data and NHL-Specific Legacy normative data collected between 1997-2000. Differences with medium to large effects were seen between PNELS reference values and published English language general population normative data. CONCLUSION: Results underscore the importance of considering primary language fluency/preference when interpreting performance on commonly used PnP tests. Comparisons of renormed scores to legacy data suggest periodic renorming may be beneficial. Additionally, medium to large differences between PNELS and population-based English-language normative values suggest that it may not always be appropriate to use English-language normative data with individuals for whom English is not their primary/preferred language.
Re-establishing and refining baseline neuropsychological test data among professional hockey players: part 2 regression-based adjustment of neuropsychological norms in professional hockey.
Bruce J, Riegler KE, Hutchison MG … +5 more , Meeuwisse W, Harmon KG, Comper P, Delaney JS, Echemendia RJ
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41984633 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a regression-based approach provides a more appropriate normative framework for professional hockey players after accounting for estimated overall cognitive ability, language proficiency o...
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a regression-based approach provides a more appropriate normative framework for professional hockey players after accounting for estimated overall cognitive ability, language proficiency or acculturation, and baseline performance on other cognitive measures. METHODS: Players were randomly selected from club rosters to complete the National Hockey League/National Hockey League Players' Association (NHL/NHLPA) paper and pencil (PnP) concussion battery and English Proficiency Questionnaire (EPQ) during 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 pre-season camps (oversampling Primary Non-English Language Speakers; PNELS). The final sample consisted of 305 players: 114 Primary English Language Speakers (PELS) and 191 PNELS. Age, estimates of premorbid function, baseline Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool® (SCAT), and EPQ data were included as predictors of PnP performance in regression models. RESULTS: Regression-based models accounted for 15%-34% of the variance in PnP test performance among PELS and between 13%-39% of variance in PnP performance among PNELS. CONCLUSION: Regression modeling allows for a more precise calculation of normative data in professional hockey. This approach may be more sensitive to subtle changes in cognitive functioning by accounting for baseline cognition, estimated premorbid abilities, and English language proficiency/acculturation.
Early impairment of narrative discourse complexity in Parkinson's disease without mild cognitive impairment.
García Pérez M, Nieto A, Galtier I
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41967504 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have an increased risk of dementia. Identifying cognitive changes that could be present from the early stages of the disease, or which...
OBJECTIVE: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have an increased risk of dementia. Identifying cognitive changes that could be present from the early stages of the disease, or which increase the risk of PD-MCI or dementia development is a highly relevant challenge. To date, investigations focusing on narrative discourse in PD-MCI are extremely scarce. The objective of this research was to investigate narrative discourse with the Cookie Theft (CT) picture in patients with PD, with and without MCI, in addition to other classical measures of language production. Moreover, the authors explore which components of language production are associated with the progression of neurological impairment and the diagnosis of MCI. METHOD: This observational study included 27 patients, classified as PD with and without MCI, and 24 controls who were evaluated with a set of linguistic instruments, including the CT picture, verbal fluency test (phonemic and semantic) and naming task. RESULTS: Both PD groups showed a greater number of simple clauses and lower scores in multiclausal utterances and in the complexity index, suggesting decreased discourse complexity. PD-MCI performed poorly in naming and semantic fluency compared to controls. CT picture performance was independent of neurological impairment (Hoehn and Yahr Stage) and global cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test), in contrast to naming and verbal fluency. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment in narrative discourse in PD can be present regardless of cognitive status and degree of neurological impairment, in contrast to other language production difficulties, which are associated with MCI diagnosis and disease progression.
Dementia risk factors, everyday functioning, and healthy aging across cognitive status.
Whiteley N, Farrer TJ, Schmitter-Edgecombe M
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41947584 · Full text
OBJECTIVE: Reviews enumerate several modifiable risk factors that offer avenues for early intervention across midlife and older adulthood. The current study examined the relationship between risk factors and cognitive st...
OBJECTIVE: Reviews enumerate several modifiable risk factors that offer avenues for early intervention across midlife and older adulthood. The current study examined the relationship between risk factors and cognitive status (i.e., healthy older adults [HOA], subjective cognitive decline [SCD], and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]), and their association with everyday functioning and engagement in healthy aging behaviors. METHODS: Participants were 260 community-dwelling midlife and older adults. They completed clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires assessing healthy aging activity engagement and everyday functioning cross-sectionally. Dementia risk variables were dichotomized and weighted using the relative risk value from the Lancet Commission to create a composite dementia risk score. RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed significant group differences in dementia risk, F(2, 257) = 5.90, p = .003, η2 = 0.04, with significantly lower risk in HOA than both SCD and MCI. Hierarchical regressions found that the dementia risk score significantly associated with everyday functioning above and beyond global cognition and age. After controlling for cognition and age, dementia risk is also associated with engagement in healthy aging behaviors and their subtypes (i.e., biological health, social and cognitive strategies, health safeguard behaviors). Exploratory analyses of individual risk factors identified specific predictors of everyday functioning and healthy aging engagement. CONCLUSION: These findings establish overlapping risk profiles and vulnerabilities for both SCD and MCI groups. Findings support both biological and mental health factors associated with everyday functioning and healthy aging activities, highlighting the importance of early intervention and a proactive, individualized approach to manage dementia risk across the lifespan.
False positive low score rates on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV México and U.S. version core subtests from neurologically intact, balanced bilingual, Mexican Americans.
Ontiveros G, Gasquoine PG
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41947583 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: To compare false positive rates on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) core subtests from the México and U.S. versions among neurologically intact, balanced bilingual, Mexican Americans with varying...
OBJECTIVE: To compare false positive rates on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) core subtests from the México and U.S. versions among neurologically intact, balanced bilingual, Mexican Americans with varying cut scores (≤ 7; ≤ 6; ≤ 5 scale scores: i.e., ≥ 1.0, ≥ 1.33, and ≥ 1.67 SDs) while estimating preexisting skill level at the normative 50th percentile versus a performance-based estimate. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 participants (M = 10.18 education years) administered the two WAIS-IV versions (intertest interval = 5.68 days) in a counterbalanced repeated measures design. Sample language balance was established by subtraction of the Spanish from the English Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised Picture Vocabulary (WMLS-R PV) subtest scores for each participant (M = -0.18). RESULTS: Estimating preexisting skill level at the 50th percentile of WAIS-IV norms produced false positive rates of 0.32, 0.17, and 0.06 for the México version and 0.53, 0.37, and 0.24 for the U.S. at cut scores of ≤ 7, ≤ 6, and ≤ 5, respectively. Using the WMLS-R PV to estimate preexisting skill level significantly reduced the false positive rate to between ≤ 3% and zero across both versions and all cut scores. CONCLUSIONS: WAIS-IV false positive rates, likely influenced by racial/ethnically correlated variables of years of education, bilingualism, and qualitative aspects of education, were significantly lower for the México than the U.S. versions across all cut-scores. They were significantly reduced for both versions and all cut scores by using a performance-based estimate of preexisting skill level versus the normative 50th percentile.
Considerations regarding the clinical utility of cognitive testing in functional neurological disorder: A narrative review.
Van Patten R
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41947582 · Publisher ↗
Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common clinical condition that is associated with a wide range of neurological, mental health, and physical symptoms, as well as reduced quality of life. There is growing recog...
Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common clinical condition that is associated with a wide range of neurological, mental health, and physical symptoms, as well as reduced quality of life. There is growing recognition of frequent cognitive difficulties across the spectrum of FND presentations, which are related to impairment and disability for many patients. However, uncertainty regarding the potential clinical utility of cognitive testing continues to hold back optimal assessment and treatment. Specific issues that are in need of additional clarity include contributions of cognitive testing beyond the initial FND diagnosis; overall rates of failed performance validity tests in patients with FND; and conflicting notions about whether cognitive impairments based on testing are either incompatible with the diagnosis or ubiquitous in FND. The current manuscript reviews evidence pertaining to each of these issues, outlines contexts in which cognitive testing is indicated or contraindicated, and provides recommendations for how neuropsychologists can use test results to benefit patients and their families.
Linguistic Barriers in U.S. Neuropsychological Assessment: A State-of-the-Art Review.
Martin A
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41910402 · Full text
In the USA, 67.86 million people speak a language other than English at home. Many of these homes speak both English and a non-English language, with varying degrees of English fluency. A sizable 25.70 million people (8%...
In the USA, 67.86 million people speak a language other than English at home. Many of these homes speak both English and a non-English language, with varying degrees of English fluency. A sizable 25.70 million people (8% of the U.S. population) report speaking, reading, or writing English "less than well" or "not at all." These individuals are referred to as limited English proficiency (LEP) speakers. Such persons often need speech interpreters in health care and human service settings. When a speech interpreter is utilized to assess a LEP patient, the typical dyadic clinician-patient interaction shifts to a triadic clinician-interpreter-patient interaction. Although triadic interpreter-mediated interactions are commonplace in neuropsychological assessment when LEP patients are being evaluated, few guidelines exist for these interactions. To illustrate the current state of interpreter-mediated neuropsychological assessment in the USA, literature on the following themes have been reviewed: (1) existing language accessibility options; (2) the history of speech interpretation, clinically; (3) key distinctions in the profile of U.S. patients; (4) what linguistics barriers exist, have been addressed, and have arisen from the implementation of language accommodations in clinical practice; and (5) what recommendations have been established for the neuropsychological assessment of LEP patients. By detailing these five areas in the context of local, state, and national-level variability, this review identifies some of the systemic roots of linguistic barriers in the USA. Updated recommendation guidelines are outlined to promote efficacious and equitable neuropsychological assessment of LEP patients for implementation in clinical practice.
Examining Neighborhood Disadvantage, Brain Healthcare Access, and Neuropsychological Disparities in Underserved Older Adults.
Nester Rooney C, Prieto S, Rahilly M … +2 more , Boxerman E, Korthauer LE
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41910401 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: To understand community-based brain health disparities, we investigated demographic and neuropsychological differences by neighborhood disadvantage in older patients presenting for neuropsychological evaluatio...
OBJECTIVE: To understand community-based brain health disparities, we investigated demographic and neuropsychological differences by neighborhood disadvantage in older patients presenting for neuropsychological evaluation. METHOD: This retrospective chart review calculated patients' (N = 529, Mage = 73.5 ± 8.0, Meducation = 13.5 ± 3.2, %female = 61.8, %White = 86.8, %non-Hispanic = 95.3) state-level Area Deprivation Index (ADI) to compare patients from the 20% most disadvantaged (n = 61) to the 80% least disadvantaged areas (n = 468). RESULTS: Patients from disadvantaged areas were less likely to access care (11.5% of sample), had lower educational attainment (p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.60), and were more likely to require a medical interpreter (p < .001, Cramer's V = 0.17). They had lower premorbid baselines (p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.52), had lower performances on tests of processing speed (p = .039, Cohen's d = .30), attention (p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.48), and executive functioning (p = .039, Cohen's d = 0.34), and endorsed more depressive symptoms (p = .026, Cohen's d = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need for targeted outreach, culturally responsive care, and community-based brain health initiatives to foster cognitive resilience and equitable care access.
NeBa - Neglect battery: updated norms, new scores, and guidelines of a neuropsychological battery for the assessment of unilateral spatial neglect and associated disorders.
Crespi F, Rossi I, Diana L … +4 more , Fortis P, Vallar G, Bolognini N, Ronchi R
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41875006 · Full text
AIM: Neuropsychological tests of visuo-spatial exploration, line bisection, and drawing are typically employed for diagnosing unilateral spatial neglect (USN), but updated norms, including those for left and right biases...
AIM: Neuropsychological tests of visuo-spatial exploration, line bisection, and drawing are typically employed for diagnosing unilateral spatial neglect (USN), but updated norms, including those for left and right biases, are still lacking. This study aims to standardize administration and scoring of the most widely used USN tests, providing regression-based norms and equivalent scores (ES) of a comprehensive set of old and new visuo-spatial indexes. These include asymmetry in the allocentric and egocentric spaces, execution times, as well as measures of productive symptoms (e.g., perseverations) and constructional apraxia in an Italian sample. METHODS: A sample of 270 neurologically healthy participants (139 females, mean age: 60.57 ± 12.79 years) completed a neuropsychological battery including line bisection, line/star/geometrical item cancellations, copy of simple and complex drawings, the clock drawing test, and a new representational neglect test. Multiple regressions estimated the effects of age, education, and gender. Non-parametric tolerance limits and ES were calculated on ranked adjusted scores. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed significant influences of age and education across tasks; both predicted execution time and spatial asymmetry in cancellations, constructional apraxia in drawings, and clock drawing accuracy. Education specifically predicted perseverations in cancellations, while age specifically predicted cancellation accuracy and perseverations in drawing tasks. Gender only influenced line bisection and, along with age and education, accuracy in the butterfly memory test. DISCUSSION: This work provides updated norms for standard and novel visuo-spatial indexes in the assessment of USN and associated disorders, with standardized procedures to guide clinical assessment and support neglect rehabilitation.
Adolescents Who Are Overweight or Obese Exhibit Weaker Spatial and Verbal Working Memory Compared with Healthy-Weight Peers.
García-Gómez L, Romero-Rebollar C, Ferreira G … +5 more , Capuron L, Gutiérrez-Aguilar R, Villalpando-Carrión S, Pacheco-López G, OBETEEN Consortium
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41860306 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Previous studies link obesity to neurophysiological changes, however cognitive outcomes in adolescents who are overweight or obese, especially with their eating behavior, require further documentation. OBJECT...
BACKGROUND: Previous studies link obesity to neurophysiological changes, however cognitive outcomes in adolescents who are overweight or obese, especially with their eating behavior, require further documentation. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI), eating behavior, and cognitive performance in Mexican adolescents. METHOD: Urban Mexican adolescents completed CANTAB tasks assessing spatial memory (PAL: Paired Associates Learning; SSP: Spatial Span), verbal memory (VRM: Verbal Recognition Memory), and emotional recognition (ERT: Emotion Recognition Task), as well as eating behavior measures. Cognitive performance was compared between normal-weight and overweight and obesity groups. Hierarchical regressions tested BMI and eating disorder symptoms as predictors of cognition. RESULTS: The overweight and obesity group showed significantly poorer performance on PAL and SSP. Multivariate analyses revealed BMI, sex, and age predicted PAL, SSP, and VRM performance. Eating behavior differed by weight group, but only eating disorder symptoms predicted cognition. Neither BMI nor eating behavior predicted ERT performance. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial working memory is weaker in adolescents who are overweight or obese. Higher BMI also relates to poorer verbal memory, expanding known executive function deficits. Overall, these data reinforce the evidence on the negative effects of hyperadiposity on cognitive performance in adolescents.
The experience of behavioral observation in neuropsychological assessment: a conventional content analysis.
Bicego L, Vogel EB, Kendra KE
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41860305 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Behavioral observation in neuropsychology involves the systematic recording of an individual's behaviors during the assessment process by a qualified observer. The role of behavioral observation is to identify...
OBJECTIVE: Behavioral observation in neuropsychology involves the systematic recording of an individual's behaviors during the assessment process by a qualified observer. The role of behavioral observation is to identify how patients function in their environment, as well as how they approach tasks during the assessment process. Observations identify cognitive patterns that may not be revealed through testing. There is a gap in the literature regarding how practitioners routinely conceptualize and use such observations. This qualitative study aimed to explore clinical neuropsychologists' experiences related to behavioral observation. METHOD: Researchers recruited 10 U.S.-based licensed clinical neuropsychologists with experience using behavioral observation in neuropsychological assessments for dementia. Participation involved semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Findings indicate that neuropsychologists rely on behavioral observations to capture patterns that standardized tests might overlook. Data analysis yielded 6 categories, each with 2-3 subcategories. The categories were: (1) complexity of behavioral observation requires individualized experiential training approaches; (2) behavioral observation should be continuous throughout all patient contacts; (3) behavioral observations contextualize findings; (4) testing can reveal deficits not apparent from observation; (5) challenges related to dependence on the judgment of trained observers; and (6) formalizing behavioral observation involves challenges, risks, and potential benefits. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study highlight the contribution of behavioral observation to enhancing ecological validity in neuropsychological assessments, the vital role of individualized mentorship in training observational skills, and the challenges that make standardization difficult.
Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation Training Improves Executive Function and Complex Attention in Veterans With mTBI-Randomized-Control Study.
Santiago R, Kryza-Lacombe M, Tessier J … +6 more , Hwang A, Maruyama BA, Raptentsetsang S, Abrams G, Mukherjee P, Novakovic-Agopian T
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41838854 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common brain injury. Some individuals experience ongoing cognitive, physical, and emotional complaints post-mTBI. Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation (GOALS...
OBJECTIVE: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common brain injury. Some individuals experience ongoing cognitive, physical, and emotional complaints post-mTBI. Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation (GOALS) is a cognitive rehabilitation training that incorporates applied mindfulness-based attention regulation strategies into its protocol and targets executive control difficulties. This study expands previous work that demonstrated improved executive function, functional outcomes, and emotional functioning among veterans with acquired brain injury and examines GOALS training effects in veterans with a history of mTBI, specifically. METHOD: Veterans with a history of mTBI at least 6 months post-injury (N = 32) were randomly assigned to GOALS (n = 18) or an intensity-matched active control group (Brain Health Education [BHE] training; n = 14). Evaluator blinded assessments at baseline and post-intervention included neuropsychological and complex functional task performance, and self-report measures of emotional functioning/regulation. RESULTS: GOALS, but not BHE, showed significant improvements on a composite measure of overall Attention/Executive Function composite, and on measures of Working Memory, Sustained Attention, Inhibition, and complex functional ability. There was also a significant decrease in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: GOALS training improved performance on neuropsychological and ecologically valid functional measures of complex attention and executive function, as well as emotional functioning in veterans with mTBI. Improving executive functions may also improve functioning in other domains such as emotional regulation and functional performance, making it particularly relevant for veterans with a history of mTBI and comorbid psychiatric symptoms.
Disrupting the Frontal Aslant Tract: Network Evidence for Speech Initiation Deficits in a Non-Anglophone Stroke Survivor.
AbuAlrob MA, Zammar K, Mallat F … +5 more , Abuozied N, Elsotouhy A, Abdellatif R, Azzam T, Hussein S
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41758590 · Publisher ↗
BACKGROUND: The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a direct cortico-cortical intra-frontal pathway linking the inferior frontal gyrus with the pre-supplementary and supplementary motor areas and is implicated in speech initia...
BACKGROUND: The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a direct cortico-cortical intra-frontal pathway linking the inferior frontal gyrus with the pre-supplementary and supplementary motor areas and is implicated in speech initiation and verbal fluency. However, much of the available evidence regarding its role in speech production derives from studies in English-speaking populations, which may limit the generalizability of these findings to underrepresented languages and linguistic contexts. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 74-year-old Arabic-speaking man who developed acute non-fluent aphasia following a left frontal infarct. Neurological examination demonstrated near-complete speech arrest with relative preservation of receptive language abilities and orofacial praxis, and without limb weakness. MRI localized the lesion to the pars opercularis/middle frontal junction, and diffusion tensor imaging demonstrated focal discontinuity of the left FAT with preservation of the right homolog. Confrontation naming could not be assessed due to the complete absence of verbal output. This clinical-anatomical dissociation, marked impairment of speech initiation in the context of relatively preserved receptive and buccofacial motor functions, supports a critical role of the left FAT in initiating propositional speech. CONCLUSIONS: This case provides tract-level evidence that selective FAT disruption can result in profound deficits in speech initiation while sparing posterior language networks, reinforcing network-based models of language production. These findings underscore the importance of anatomically informed and linguistically inclusive diagnostic and rehabilitation approaches for non-Anglophone populations.
Compensation Strategies for Cognitive Complaints After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: a Patient Perspective.
Tack RWP, Rinkel GJE, van Nievelt RT … +4 more , Wajer IH, Visser-Meily JMA, Sibbel J, Vergouwen MDI
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41758589 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Cognitive complaints following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) are common and often result in a decreased quality of life. Many patients use strategies to compensate for cognitive complaints in the l...
OBJECTIVE: Cognitive complaints following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) are common and often result in a decreased quality of life. Many patients use strategies to compensate for cognitive complaints in the long-term after aSAH, but it remains unclear which strategies are used. We aimed to determine and classify compensation strategies for cognitive complaints after aSAH. METHOD: This study was conducted between May 2020 and November 2021. All aSAH patients who visited the outpatient aftercare clinic of our tertiary referral hospital between 2016 and 2019 were contacted to participate. We asked participants to fill out a questionnaire, and we collected data from patient files. We retrieved from questionnaires which strategies were commonly used in the years after aSAH to compensate for cognitive complaints, and used Wilson's model of compensation as an existing theoretical framework to classify these strategies. RESULTS: Of 166 eligible patients, 81 (49%) patients returned the questionnaire at a median of 46 months after aSAH, of whom 77 (95%) had at least one cognitive complaint. We identified 576 compensation strategies, which we categorized into eight subthemes of strategies: increased time and effort, increased rest before/after activity, removal of distractor, use of alternative cognitive functions, use of external aids, use of others, adjust to reduced cognitive performance, accept reduced cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that numerous compensation strategies are used to compensate for cognitive complaints after aSAH. The identified strategies may help patients to select a strategy that best matches their personal needs and preferences.
Assessing Prospective Memory after Stroke: a Comparison of Self-Report and Performance-Based Measures.
Ambrogi V, Giovannelli F, Righi S … +5 more , Pellegrini I, Della Bella S, Pedrini C, Cecchi F, Viggiano MP
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41758588 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Prospective memory (PM) is essential for daily functioning, allowing individuals to remember planned actions while engaged in other tasks. PM deficits can significantly affect quality of life, particularly in...
OBJECTIVE: Prospective memory (PM) is essential for daily functioning, allowing individuals to remember planned actions while engaged in other tasks. PM deficits can significantly affect quality of life, particularly in clinical populations, such as patients with stroke. The present study aimed to compare PM failures between patients with stroke and healthy controls using both a performance-based task and a self-report measure. METHOD: Thirty-five patients with stroke and forty healthy controls participated in the study. All participants completed the Prospective scale of the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and the event-based task from the Miami Prospective Memory Test (MPMTevent). RESULTS: Patients with stroke were significantly more likely to exhibit impaired performance on the MPMTevent than healthy controls. However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in PRMQ scores. This finding indicates that, despite their lower performance on MPMTevent individuals with stroke did not subjectively perceive a higher frequency of PM failures in everyday life than healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a dissociation between objective PM performance and self-assessment in patients with stroke, highlighting the role of metacognitive awareness. A lack of such awareness could hinder the adoption of effective strategies to improve PM performance. These results emphasize the need for a comprehensive assessment of PM that integrates both performance-based and self-reports measures to fully capture deficits in patients with stroke.
Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and Cogstate Normative Data of Australian 12- and 13-Year-Olds.
Ball PL, Boyes A, Parker M … +4 more , Crethar M, Rendall S, Hermens DF, Andrews SC
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41758587 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: Establish normative data for 12- and 13-year-olds on commonly administered tasks from two widely used computerized neuropsychological test batteries, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CA...
OBJECTIVE: Establish normative data for 12- and 13-year-olds on commonly administered tasks from two widely used computerized neuropsychological test batteries, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and Cogstate. METHOD: One hundred twenty 12-13-year-olds (56% female) completed CANTAB (Paired Associates Learning, Cambridge Gambling Task, and Multitasking Test) and/or Cogstate (Groton Maze Learning Task, Detection Test, Identification Test, One-Back Test, and Two-Back Test) between 2018 and 2025 as part of the Australian cohort Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to establish cognitive norms and assess relationships with sex and age. RESULTS: Cognitive scores did not vary by sex. Thirteen-year-olds were more accurate and faster on One-Back and faster on the Identification Test than 12-year-olds. CONCLUSIONS: These data may be used for comparison with adolescents from average-upper socioeconomic status in high-income countries. Future research should develop norms for adolescents of differing age and socioeconomic status.
A Survey of Sports Concussion Specialists' Clinical Criteria to Determine Concussion Recovery.
Moser RS, Riegler KE, Uhrig C … +6 more , Choi DM, Broglio S, Mayer B, Boltz A, Master CL, Schatz P
Arch Clin Neuropsychol · 2026 Feb · PMID 41758586 · Publisher ↗
OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify criteria used by sports concussion specialists in determining recovery from sport-related concussion. We hypothesized differences in decision-making criteria among three specialist groups...
OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify criteria used by sports concussion specialists in determining recovery from sport-related concussion. We hypothesized differences in decision-making criteria among three specialist groups, neuropsychologists, physicians, and certified athletic trainers (ATCs), for youth athletes and young adult/adult athletes. METHOD: We surveyed 156 sports concussion specialists (neuropsychologists = 46, physicians = 42, and ATCs = 68) who rated the importance of specific criteria for determining concussion recovery in youth and young adult/adult athletes. Differences between these specialist groups were examined with Kruskal-Wallis tests. Modal ratings for each age group by specialist were also examined. RESULTS: There were significant differences (all p < .001) in criteria ratings across specialist groups regarding youth and young adults/adults for "use of neurocognitive test scores," "balance testing," "physical examination," "no symptom provocation with neurocognitive testing," "athlete report of anxiety about return to sport," and "family member's report of recovery." For both age groups, physicians ranked "use of neurocognitive test scores" and "no symptom provocation with neurocognitive testing" as less important than other providers, while "physician examination" was ranked as more important. Neuropsychologists ranked "balance testing" and "athlete report of anxiety about return to sport" as less important than other providers, and ATCs ranked "family member's report of recovery" as less important than other providers. Modal ratings provided more detail. CONCLUSIONS: These results advance understanding of multidisciplinary standards of care in determining recovery from sports concussion and suggest the importance of collaboration in establishing clinical criteria common to all sports concussion health care providers.
About
- Frequency
- Sun
- Papers found
- 200
- RSS feed
- Subscribe