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Detection of Major and Mild Neurocognitive Disorder with the Verbal Naming Test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2021

Kelsey Spalding-Wilson*
Affiliation:
VA Saint Louis Health Care System, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Grant Harris
Affiliation:
VA Saint Louis Health Care System, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Victoria A. Windham
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology Section, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Adriana M. Strutt
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology Section, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Brian P. Yochim
Affiliation:
VA Saint Louis Health Care System, Saint Louis, MO, USA
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Kelsey Spalding-Wilson, PhD, VA St. Louis Health Care System, 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive, St. Louis, MO63125, USA. E-mail: kelsey.wilson@va.gov

Abstract

Objective:

The Verbal Naming Test (VNT) is an auditory-based measure of naming or word finding. The current multisite study sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of the VNT in the detection of major and mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD).

Method:

This study analyzed clinical data from two outpatient neuropsychology clinics (N = 188 and N = 77) and a geriatric primary care clinic (N = 104). Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlations with other measures were calculated. ROC analyses were used to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power for the detection of major and mild NCD per DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) criteria.

Results:

The VNT was found to have strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .90) and high convergent validity with a commonly used picture-naming task (NAB Naming, Spearman’s rho = .65, p < .001). The VNT showed good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of NCDs, particularly major NCD, with an area under the curve of .85, sensitivity of .80, and specificity of .75. A possible discontinue rule is also suggested for clinicians to use.

Conclusions:

These findings provide compelling evidence for the use of the VNT to detect neurocognitive impairment in a clinical setting. The VNT provides a reliable alternative to picture-naming tasks, which may be advantageous when working with visually impaired patients or conducting evaluations over telehealth.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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