Premorbid tests estimate cognitive ability prior to neurological condition onset or brain injury. Tests requiring oral pronunciation of visually presented irregular words, such as the National Adult Reading Test (NART), are commonly used due to robust evidence that word familiarity is well-preserved across a range of neurological conditions and correlates highly with intelligence. Our aim is to examine the prediction limits of NART variants to assess their ability to accurately estimate premorbid IQ.

We examine the prediction limits of 13 NART variants, calculate which IQ classification system categories are reachable in principle, and consider the proportion of the adult population in the target country falling outside the predictable range.

Many NART variants cannot reach higher or lower IQ categories due to floor/ceiling effects and inherent limitations of linear regression (used to convert scores to predicted IQ), restricting clinical accuracy in evaluating premorbid ability (and thus the magnitude of impairment). For some variants this represents a sizeable proportion of the target population.

Since both higher and lower IQ categories are unreachable in principle, we suggest that future NART variants consider polynomial or broken-stick fitting (or similar methods) and suggest that prediction limits should be routinely reported.

The number of test translations and adaptations has risen exponentially over the last two decades, and these processes are now becoming a common practice. The International Test Commission (ITC) Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Tests (Second Edition, 2017) offer principles and practices to ensure the quality of translated and adapted tests. However, they are not specific to the cognitive processes examined with clinical neuropsychological measures. The aim of this publication is to provide a specialized set of recommendations for guiding neuropsychological test translation and adaptation procedures.

The International Neuropsychological Society’s Cultural Neuropsychology Special Interest Group established a working group tasked with extending the ITC guidelines to offer specialized recommendations for translating/adapting neuropsychological tests. The neuropsychological application of the ITC guidelines was formulated by authors representing over ten nations, drawing upon literature concerning neuropsychological test translation, adaptation, and development, as well as their own expertise and consulting colleagues experienced in this field.

A summary of neuropsychological-specific commentary regarding the ITC test translation and adaptation guidelines is presented. Additionally, examples of applying these recommendations across a broad range of criteria are provided to aid test developers in attaining valid and reliable outcomes.

Establishing specific neuropsychological test translation and adaptation guidelines is critical to ensure that such processes produce reliable and valid psychometric measures. Given the rapid global growth experienced in neuropsychology over the last two decades, the recommendations may assist researchers and practitioners in carrying out such endeavors.

Executive functions (EF) are a primary mediator of both typical and atypical functioning, influencing the progression of psychopathology due to their role in supporting self-monitoring/regulation and top-down control of cognitive processes. According to recent models, EF impairments may contribute to the functional decline of patients with substance use disorder (SUD), exacerbating secondary affective and social symptoms. Despite these potential implications, the tools now commonly used to outline neurocognitive, and specifically EF, impairments in patients with addiction are not tailored to this clinical population, having been developed to assess cognitive or dysexecutive deficits in neurology or geriatric patients. Because of their different clinical focus, such tools are frequently unable to fully delineate the dysfunctional EF profile of addiction patients. We here present the development and validation of a novel specific screening battery for executive disorders in addiction: Battery for Executive Functions in Addiction (BFE-A).

151 SUD patients and 55 control persons were recruited for the validation of the BFE-A battery. The battery consists of two computerized neurocognitive tasks (Stroop and Go/No-go tasks) and five digitalized neuropsychological tests (focus: short/long-term memory, working memory, focused attention, verbal/non-verbal cognitive flexibility). The tests are designed to assess executive control, inhibition mechanisms, and attention bias toward drugs of abuse.

In tests of verbal memory, focused attention, and cognitive flexibility, as well as in computerized tasks, inferential statistical analyses revealed lower performance in SUD patients compared to control participants, indicating a lack of inhibitory processes and dysfunctional management of cognitive resources. The investigation of Cohen’s d values has revealed that inhibitory control, verbal/nonverbal fluency, and short/long-term memory are the areas with the most significant impairments.

While the evaluation of EF dysfunctions associated to addiction is a currently underrepresented component of the diagnostic procedure in drug assistance/treatment programs, is also is an essential step for both profiling of patients and design of rehabilitation protocols. Clinical interviews should be complemented by early assessment of cognitive weaknesses and preserved EF skills in order to establishing personalized therapy strategy and perhaps organizing a concurrent phase of cognitive rehabilitation.

Despite the array of neuropsychological tests available, these assessments are largely made and developed for use in WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) societies (Fernandez, 2019; Ponsford, 2017). The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS) was developed with underrepresented groups in mind as a universally valid neuropsychological assessment which can be used across cultures and adapted to different languages. To assist with the validation of the MUNS as a cross-cultural instrument, investigators administered the MUNS to a cognitively 'healthy’ college-aged population in the United States as a means of collecting normative data. Results were compared to samples taken from an Argentine university, Universidad Catelica de Cerdoba, and combined with another American university, Marymount Loyola University. The goal of this comparison was to provide evidence supporting the validity of the MUNS as a universal, cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment battery.

Students from James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia (N = 24, Age = 20.083 1.93, Female = 87.5%) were recruited via a campus-wide email. Students who met inclusionary criteria were selected for MUNS administration. Students completed a background questionnaire and effort measure (REY-15; Rey, 1964) before completing the MUNS battery, consisting of eight subtests with four delayed trials. Descriptive statistics of the group were assessed, and one-way ANOVAs were conducted on the various subtests to determine whether differences exist between the American and Argentine samples.

No significant difference between groups was found for seven subtests. A difference existed on the Attention subtest between the American (f (1, 106) = 45.409, p < .001).

The results show support for the cross-cultural validity of the MUNS. The only significant difference was found in the Arrows (Old) subtest. This is in alignment with previous administrations of the MUNS (Fernandez et al., 2018). Further studies are needed to assess potential bias within this subtest, as well as to pursue comparison studies for the New Arrows subtest administered within this USA sample. The present findings provide further evidence that the MUNS can be applied as a neuropsychological assessment across a variety of populations.

Expertise in social perception, defined as the ability to decode another person's mental states based on basic behavioral signals (Allison et al., 2000; Beauchamp et al., 2008). The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) is a social-perception task of theory of mind (ToM, Meinhardt-Injac et al., 2020) and used to test different clinical disorders, like autism spectrum disorders (ASD, Peñuelas-Calvo et al., 2019). RMET has been used to demonstrate gender, cultural, genetic, and personality trait influences on ToM and elucidate its neurobiological mechanisms (Adams et al., 2010). In Taiwan, there has few sensitive tools to evaluate children's social perception, thus the purpose of this study is to examine psychometric properties of child's version of RMET in Taiwan (RMET-C-TW) and cross-cultural comparisons.

RMET-C (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) was used to assess mental state/emotion recognition (Vellante et al., 2013). It consists of photographs of the eye regions of 28 faces. Participants were asked to make a choice between four words presented, choose the one that best described for feel or think. One point was given to each correctly response. RMET-C-TW was double-translation of words to ensure cultural applicability in Taiwan. This study included both a normative sample and criteria sample. The normative sample consisted of 769 (385 male, 384 female) 3 to 9 grades students from northern Taiwan. The normative sample completed both the RMET-C-TW and Chinese Vocabulary Test (CVT) in groups at their own schools, the CVT was to ensure that participants had sufficient vocabulary skills to understand the options provided in REMT-C-TW. The criteria sample were collected from 46 matched, school-aged children with ASD (age mean = 10.52, SD = 1.62; IQ = 108.39, SD = 11.75), and normally developing controls (age mean = 10.66, SD=1.68; IQ = 109.70, SD = 12.12). These two groups were administered the (1) WISC-III (2) CVT (3) RMET-C-TW and (4) ToM Test.

The results showed that RMET-C-TW had acceptable test-retest reliability and internal consistency (test-retest reliability = .71, Cronbach α= .40). There were significant gender and age difference in the performance of RMET-C-TW, example female, older participants performed better. Item analysis showed 93% of items in the RMET-C-TW had cross- cultural consistency in the distribution of respondents' choices. In criteria sample, the control group's RMET-C-TW scores significantly better than ASD group. Physician diagnosis (r = .49, p < .01) and high-order ToM's scores (r = .33, p < .01) were significantly associated with RMET-C-TW scores.

RMET-C-TW has acceptable reliability and good developmental validity (age-related growth) in three to nine grades, and future can be extended to different age and clinicians to understand the development of social perception. Therefore, RMET-C-TW can be used as an initial screening and cross-cultural tool for ASD. In addition, EF is divided into cold and hot, and hot EF makes a unique contribution to ToM in ASD (Kouklari et al., 2017), thus this tool may also be used in the future to understand the association of hot EF with social perception.

Even though the severity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) has decreased with the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, mild forms of HAND remain prevalent. Many HIV-infected individuals live alone, so mild cognitive impairments are easily missed. It is important to check their neurocognitive and everyday functions during hospital visits; however, it is challenging for Japanese clinicians because many hospitals do not have enough clinical psychologists or neuropsychologists. Additionally, neuropsychological (NP) test results may not detect those mild cognitive impairments. A micro error has been given more attention as a new behavioral sign of the early stages of cognitive decline, especially among people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The current study aimed to 1) develop a touch-panel HAND screening battery and 2) evaluate if the micro errors could differentiate individuals with HAND from their counterpart healthy individuals.

Forty HIV-infected men (age: 49.0±8.51 years old, education: 18.5±2.17 years) and 44 healthy men (age: 45.4±8.49 years old, education: 14.4±2.27 years) completed the touch-panel HAND screening battery which assessed six NP domains by seven subtests, everyday functions, and depression. A micro error is defined as a subtle action disruption or hesitation occurring immediately before making final actions. We evaluated the micro errors in short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) of verbal learning tests (VLT).

Mann Whitney U tests revealed that the HIV+ group made significantly more micro errors on both STM (HIV+: 1.45±0.90 times, Healthy: 0.52±0.84 times) and LTM (HIV+: 1.85±0.73 times, Healthy: 1.29±0.71 times) than the healthy group (STM: W=1362, p< .001, Effect Size (EF)= .548; LTM: W=1199.5, p= .002, EF= .363). An independent samples T-test showed that the HAND group made significantly more micro errors than the non-HAND group (t=1.822, p= .038, ES= .595) on STM; moreover, the Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment (ANI) group made significantly more micro errors than the healthy group (W=446, p< .001, ES= .689). On LTM, no significant micro error differences between HAND and non-HAND (W=184.5, p= .539, ES= -.189) nor between ANI and healthy group (W=327.5, p= .103, ES= .241) were found.

The present study suggests that a novel behavioral measure, micro errors, may be able to help detect even the mildest form of HAND, ANI. Given that the touch-panel HAND screening battery consists of NP and IADL tests, it is important to evaluate micro errors on these various measures. Additionally, the touch-panel screening battery requires minimal administrative staff involvement, which could be beneficial for busy HIV clinicians.

We developed the Shell Game Task (SGT) as a novel Performance Validity Test (PVT). While most PVTs use a forced-choice paradigm with “memory” as the primary domain being assessed, the SGT is a face-valid measure of attention and working memory. We explored the accuracy of the SGT to detect noncredible performance using a simulatordesign study.

Ninety-four university students were randomly assigned to either best effort (CON) (n=49) or simulating traumatic brain injury (TBI) (SIM) (n=45) conditions. Participants completed a full battery of neuropsychological tests to simulate an actual evaluation, including the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and the SGT. The SGT involves three cups and a red ball shown on the screen. Participants watch as the ball is placed under one of the three cups. Cups are then shuffled. Participants are asked to track the cup that contains the ball and correctly identify its location. We created two difficulty levels (easy vs hard, 20 trials each) by changing the number of times the cups were shuffled. Participants were given feedback (correct vs incorrect) after each trial. At the conclusion of the study, participants were asked about adherence to study directions they were given.

Participants with missing data (CON=1; SIM=2) or who reported non-adherence to study directions (CON=2; SIM=1) were removed from analyses. Twenty-five percent in SIM and 0% in CON failed TOMM

Trial 2 (<45) suggesting adequate manipulation of groups. Groups were not different in age, gender, ethnicity, or education (all p’s>.05). There were 9 participants in each group with concussion/TBI history. TBI history was not significantly related to performance on the SGT in either group, although participants with TBI history tended to do better. Average performances on TOMM Trial 1 (36.62 vs 47.91, p<.001) and TOMM Trial 2 (37.50 vs 49.71, p<.001) were significantly lower in the SIM group. Performance on SGT was also significantly lower in the SIM group across SGT Total Correct (20.17 vs 24.65 of 40, p=.008), SGT Easy (10.60 vs 13.52 of 20, p=.002), and SGT Hard (9.57 vs 11.13 of 20, p=.068). Mixed ANOVA showed a trend towards significant group by SGT difficulty interaction (F(1,86)=3.41, p=.052, np2=.043). There was steeper decline in performance on SGT Hard compared to SGT Easy for CON. ROC analyses suggested adequate but not ideal sensitivity/specificity: scores <8 on SGT Easy (sensitivity=26%; false positive=11%), <7 on SGT Hard (sensitivity=26%; false positive=7%), and <15 on SGT Total (sensitivity=24%; false positive=9%).

These preliminary data indicate the SGT may be able to detect malingered TBI. However, additional development of this measure is necessary. Further refinement of difficulty level may improve sensitivity/specificity (e.g., CON mean performance for SGT Easy trails was 13.52, suggesting the items may be too difficult). This study was limited to an online administration due to COVID, which could have affected results; future studies should test inperson administration of the SGT. In addition, performance in clinical control groups (larger samples of individuals with mild TBI, ADHD) should be tested to better determine specificity for these preliminary cutoffs.

Neuropsychological assessment of preschool children is essential for early detection of delays and referral for intervention prior to school entry. This is especially relevant in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are disproportionately impacted by micronutrient deficiencies and teratogenic exposures. There are limited options for assessment of preschool learning and memory, developed and validated in resource-limited regions. The Grenada Learning and Memory Scale (GLAMS) was created for use in the Caribbean using an indigenous “ground-up” approach, with feedback from regional stakeholders at various stages of development. The GLAMS contains two subtests - a verbal list-learning task, which imagines a trip to the shop to buy culturally familiar items, and a face-name associative learning task using locally-drawn faces of Caribbean children. There are two versions: a 4-item version for 3-year-olds and a 6-item version for 4 and 5-year-olds. Here we present descriptive data and psychometric features for the GLAMS from an initial preschool sample.

Participants were recruited from a social-emotional intervention study (SGU IRB#14099) in Grenada between 2019-2021. Children were between 36 and 72 months of age, primarily English-speaking, and had no known history of neurodevelopmental disorders. Trained Early Childhood Assessors administered the GLAMS and NEPSY-II in public preschools and homes across Grenada. Exploratory descriptive statistics characterized participant sociodemographics and test score distributions. Spearman correlations, MannWhitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests examined the impact of sociodemographics on test scores. Internal reliability was assessed with coefficient alpha. NEPSY-II subtests were used to assess convergent validity, with the prediction that the highest correlations would be observed for NEPSY-II Sentence Repetition. Test engagement (as reflected by “zero-learning”, “some learning”, and “positive learning curves”) was assessed across each age bracket (in 6-month increments). We assessed and summarized barriers to engagement qualitatively.

The sample consisted of 304 children (152 males,152 females). Participants were predominantly Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean. Parent education and household income (Mdn=$370-740 USD per month) were consistent with the general population. GLAMS internal consistency was reliable (a=0.713). There were age effects on list-learning (rs=0.51; p<0.001), list recall (rs=0.51; p<0.001), face-name learning (rs=0.30;p<0.001), and face-name recall (rs=0.25; p<0.001). There were gender effects on list-learning (p=0.02) and list recall (p=0.01) but not face-name learning or recall. All GLAMS subtests were correlated with NEPSY Sentence Repetition (rs=0.22-0.34; p<0.001). There was sufficient sampling of males and females across all 6 age brackets. As age increased, a higher proportion of children showed a positive learning curve (and fewer “zero-scores”) on verbal learning (X2 =30.88, p<0.001) and face-name learning (X2=22.19, p=0.014), demonstrating increased task engagement as children mature. There were various qualitative observations of why children showed “zero-scores”, ranging from environmental distractions to anxiety and inattention.

As far as we know, the GLAMS is the first preschool measure of learning and memory developed indigenously from within the Caribbean. It shows reliable internal consistency, expected age and gender effects and convergent validity. These initial results are encouraging and support continued efforts to establish test-retest and inter-rater reliability. Plans include validation in clinical samples, scale-up to other Caribbean countries, and eventual adaptation across global LMICs.

The Rey Complex Figure (CF) is a popular test to assess visuospatial construction and visual memory, but its broader use in clinical research is limited by scoring complexity. To widen its application, we developed a new CF scoring system similar to the Benson Figure in which 10 primary CF elements are scored according to presence and location. A novel recognition task was also created for each of these 10 items consisting of a 4-choice recognition condition containing the primary rectangle and major interior lines with qualitative variations of target elements as distractors. The current investigation was designed to characterize the relationship between scoring methods and establish whether comparable results are obtained across both traditional and new CF scoring approaches.

Participants from the Emory Health Brain Study (EHBS) who had completed the Rey CF copy during their cognitive study visit were studied. All participants were self-identified as normal, and administered the CF according to our previously published procedure that included the Copy, Immediate Recall (∼ 30 seconds), and 30-minute Delayed Recall (Loring et al., 1990). Following delayed recall, CF recognition was assessed using the Meyers and Myers (1995) recognition followed by the newly developed forced choice recognition. The final sample included 155 participants ranging in age from 51.6 years to 80.0 years (M=64.9, SD=6.6). The average MoCA score was 26.8/30 (SD=6.6).

Mean performance levels across conditions and scoring approaches are included in the table. Correlations between Copy, Immediate Recall, Delayed Recall, and Recognition were calculated to evaluate the relationship between the traditional 18 item/36 point Osterrieth criteria and newly developed CF scoring criteria using both parametric and non-parametric approaches. Pearson correlations demonstrated high agreement between approaches when characterizing performance levels across all CF conditions (Copy r=.72, Immediate Recall r=.87, Delayed Recall r=.90, and Recognition r=.52). Similar correlations were present using non-parametric analyses (Copy ρ=.46, Immediate Recall ρ=.83, Delayed Recall ρ=.91, and Recognition ρ=.42). Table. Mean performance levels across conditions and scoring approaches

The high correlations, particularly for Immediate and Delayed Recall conditions, suggest that the modified simpler scoring system is comparable to the traditional approach, thereby suggesting potential equivalence between scoring methods. When comparing Rey’s original 47 point scoring approach to his 36 point scoring system, Osterrieth (1944) reported a correlation in fifty adults of ρ=.95 and a correlation in twenty 6-year-olds of ρ=.92. In this investigation, lower correlations were observed for copy and recognition conditions, in part representing smaller response distribution across participants. Although these preliminary results are encouraging, to implement the new EHBS scoring method in clinical evaluation, we are developing normative data in participants across the entire EHBS series, many of whom were not administered the new CF Recognition. We are also examining performances in patients undergoing DBS evaluation for Parkinson Disease to explore its clinical sensitivity. Simpler scoring will permit greater CF clinical and research application.

Imitation has pervasive associations with social and communicative development. However, few methods have been developed to measure this construct in typically developing infants, and even less is available for at-risk populations, such as infants born preterm. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a particular risk of premature birth, is associated with atypical imitation and social communication. Although imitation emerges in infancy, most current screening and diagnostic tools for ASD cannot be utilized prior to 12 months. The present study aimed to develop and validate a caregiver-report measure of infant imitation, characterize imitation profiles at 4, 6, and 9 months in term and preterm infants, and explore the relationship between imitation and scores on an ASD screening questionnaire at 18 months.

Participants (N = 571) were recruited from a larger multi-site study of PediaTrac™ v3.0, a web-based tool for monitoring and tracking infant development, and were surveyed longitudinally at birth, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months. Participants completed the online PediaTrac™ survey and several reliable and validated questionnaires via pen-and-paper format. For the purposes of this study, only the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (3rd ed.; ASQ-3), Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales-Developmental Profile (CSBS-DP), Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers - Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) were examined. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) proposed imitation items will represent a unitary latent construct, for which convergent and discriminant validity will be demonstrated, (2) there will be measurement invariance between term status groups at each assessment period, (3) preterm infants will obtain lower caregiver-reported imitation scores compared to term infants, and (4) imitation abilities at the assessment period with the most robust imitation factor will predict M-CHAT-R/F scores at 18 months.

Distinct imitation factors at 4, 6, and 9 months were modeled with confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. Relationships between the factors and established measures of infant communication (CSBS; ASQ) and sleep (BISQ) revealed convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. Strict measurement invariance was demonstrated for the 4- and 9-month factors, and metric invariance for the 6-month measure. Full term infants scored higher on imitation at 9 months, though variance in this outcome was related to term status differences in sensorimotor skills. Lastly, the 9-month imitation factor, coupled with 6-month sensorimotor skills, predicted 18-month ASD risk over and above gestational age.

This study provides support for the assessment of infant imitation, utilizing imitation to detect risk in preterm infants, and extending the age of identification for ASD risk into the first year. PediaTrac™ imitation, in combination with the PediaTrac™ sensorimotor domain, may be useful in detecting developmental risk, and specifically risk for ASD, within the first year, leading to earlier initiation of intervention. Further, with its minimal completion time and ease of dissemination through digital platforms, this measure can expand access to care and improve long-term outcomes for children and families.

Research has established the importance of early identification and intervention for children with developmental disorders and delays. In striving toward earlier recognition and treatment of developmental concerns, it is crucial to have a universal system to monitor infant and toddler development over time. This system should comprehensively assess the desired areas of development, be based on normative data from large samples, and have strong psychometric properties. While a few developmental monitoring tools are currently in use, they lack many of the aforementioned qualities. The current study reports on the cross-sectional psychometric properties of PediaTrac, which is a novel caregiver-report measure of infant and toddler development. Specifically, this study focuses on psychometric properties of PediaTrac’s social/communication/cognition (SCG) domain during the first 9 months of life.

The current sample included 571 caregiver-infant dyads recruited into term (n=331) and preterm (n=240) groups. Participants were from the PediaTrac multisite, longitudinal study and were socioeconomically (41.9% below median income) and racially (33.6% Black, 47.6% White, 11.0% multiracial/other) diverse. Data included caregiver reports of infant development from the SCG domain of PediaTrac at 5 sampling periods (newborn, 2, 4, 6, and 9 months). Item response theory (IRT) graded response modeling was used to estimate theta, an index of the latent trait, social/communication/cognition. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to further examine the underlying structure of the SCG domain.

Mean theta values could be reliably estimated at all time periods and followed a linear trend consistent with development. At 9 months, theta values were statistically different between the term and preterm groups, indicating that term infants demonstrated more advanced SCG abilities. Item parameters (discrimination and difficulty) could be modeled at each time period across the range of ability. Reliability of the SCG domain ranged from 0.97 to 0.99. Results of the EFA suggested a two-factor solution (affect/emotional expression, social responsiveness) at the newborn period accounting for 43% of the variance, a three-factor solution (affect/emotional expression, social responsiveness, imitation/emerging communication) at the 2-, 4-, and 6-month periods accounting for 43%, 34%, and 34% of the variance, respectively, and a four-factor solution (affect expression, social responsiveness, imitation/communication, nonverbal/gestural communication) at the 9-month period accounting for 34% of the variance.

The PediaTrac SCG domain has strong psychometric properties, including reliability estimates higher than other existing caregiver-report measures of SCG abilities. EFA analyses demonstrated that the structure of affect/emotional expression and social responsiveness remains relatively stable and may reflect affective and regulatory aspects of temperament. Conversely, the quality and type of communication continually develops and becomes more differentiated throughout the time periods of interest. Notably, parents appear to be capable of observing and reliably reporting on their infants’ abilities in these areas. The use of a universal screening tool developed with rigorous psychometric methods, such as PediaTrac, could transform the way that clinicians identify infants in need of early intervention.

The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology’s (AACN) Relevance 2050 Initiative goals highlight the need for new assessment methods that are inclusive of the rising heterogeneous population in the US. In 2022, the Texas Education Agency reported that approximately 20% of the student population in Texas public schools are English learners (ELs), and approximately 90% of them are Spanish-speaking. In an effort to address the need for more Spanish cognitive measures normed in the US, a pediatric neuropsychology research team in North Dallas developed the Spanish Verbal Memory Test for Children (SVMT-C). To assist with establishing its validity, this study aims to corroborate that the words chosen for the list are familiar to children of different cultural backgrounds in North Texas.

Enrollment of healthy, Spanish-speaking children between 6.0 and 17.11 years old within the Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) metroplex began in January 2022 and continues to date. Study participation entails completing an in-person testing session with the child, while the parent/legal guardian completes a word-related survey along with other forms. The parent survey asks parents to indicate their child’s knowledge of 45 words (15 are target words). The testing session with the child includes completion of several cognitive tests (e.g., SVMT-C, EOWPVT-4:SBE) and a posttest survey that measures the child’s knowledge of the target words on the SVMT-C. The EOWPVT-4:SBE was used to estimate vocabulary level in Spanish to support proficiency determinations.

To date, 23 parent-child dyads have participated in the study, and 7 different countries of origin are represented in the overall sample. Data of children who earned SS<85 in Spanish on the vocabulary test were omitted, leaving the pediatric sample at n=20. Ages ranged between 6.2 and 15.2 years old. Eighteen children were bilingual, one was monolingual, and one was multilingual. Only Spanish-speaking parents completed the Spanish Verbal Memory Test Survey, leaving the parent sample at n=21. The child survey revealed that 95% of the children (19 of 20) knew all 15 target words; only one 6-year-old child did not know a word, which contradicted their parent’s report. The parent survey revealed that 90% of parents reported their child knew all 15 target words and 100% of parents reported their child knew 14 of 15 words; only two parents (19 of 21) were unsure if their child knew one of the words but the child then earned a score of 100% on their survey.

Creating a verbal memory measure in Spanish for use in the US presents a set of unique challenges because of the variability in terminology that exists in the language. Lack of familiarity with terminology may influence performance and invalidate results. In this endeavor, the goal was to recognize these nuances and create a relevant measure that uses common words for Spanish-speaking children regardless of cultural background. Thus far, the data supports the appropriateness of the words listed in the SVMT-C with a 100% familiarity rate among children ages 7 to 15 years old.

Functional disability is a foreseeable consequence of neurodegenerative diseases affecting cognition, yet there are few validated instruments that assess functional capacity for use in pre-clinical and clinical dementia conditions. To our knowledge, the existing instruments do not comprehensively assess decision-making capacity across the numerous functional domains of daily life. We developed and evaluated the utility of an informant-report measure, the Assessment of Functional Capacity Interview (AFCI), within a sample of cognitively unimpaired and preclinical dementia groups.

Based on a comprehensive literature review, analysis of existing measures, and clinical experience, we generated >40 items consisting of open-ended questions assessing crucial aspects of daily functioning. These items were presented to 12 experts in the field of geriatrics and neuropsychology, through a graded approach (4 rounds of feedback and alterations), resulting in item modification or rejection, as well as addition of new items. The remaining items were piloted on three informants at the time of outpatient clinical evaluations, leading to further item refinement. The final version of the AFCI evaluated capacity across domains of financial affairs and management, medical affairs and healthcare management, home and personal safety, and social behaviors and community functioning. The AFCI contained 6 items per domain with response items that ranged from 0=no difficulty to 3=severe difficulty (scores ranged from 0 to 72).

Participants (N = 58; Agemean = 76; Educationmean = 16) were classified as cognitively unimpaired (CU, n = 17), subjective cognitive decline (SCD, n = 24), or mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 17) based on established criteria. All participants had a knowledgeable informant who completed the AFCI. We found statistically significant moderate to large correlations between the AFCI total score and an informant report measure of cognitive functioning (Brief Informant Form of Neurobehavioral Symptomatology total score), rs(42) = .73, p < .001, Test of Practical Judgment-informant total score rs(42) = .87, p < .001, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment total score rs(41) = -.34, p = .027. A Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed significant differences in AFCI total score between the three diagnostic groups, H(2) = 12.30, p = .002. Pairwise post-hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction showed a significant difference between CU and MCI (p = .001). The difference in AFCI total score between SCD and MCI was in the expected direction, but did not achieve statistical significance with correction, (p = .068). As expected, there was no statistically significant difference between CU and SCD (p =.353).

In this pilot sample (data collection is ongoing), the AFCI showed promise as a brief, clinically useful functional capacity instrument that is easily administered during a clinical interview or completed by knowledgeable informants. Results can help identify compromised decision-making in at-risk older adults to aid the prevention of common safety issues within this vulnerable population. Ongoing research will extend preliminary investigation of validity and further inform the utility of AFCI in both diagnostic and interventional contexts

To evaluate the construct validity of the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery (NIH TB-CB) in the healthy oldest-old (85+ years old).

Our sample from the McKnight Brain Aging Registry consists of 179 individuals, 85 to 99 years of age, screened for memory, neurological, and psychiatric disorders. Using previous research methods on a sample of 85 + y/o adults, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses on models of NIH TB-CB and same domain standard neuropsychological measures. We hypothesized the five-factor model (Reading, Vocabulary, Memory, Working Memory, and Executive/Speed) would have the best fit, consistent with younger populations. We assessed confirmatory and discriminant validity. We also evaluated demographic and computer use predictors of NIH TB-CB composite scores.

Findings suggest the six-factor model (Vocabulary, Reading, Memory, Working Memory, Executive, and Speed) had a better fit than alternative models. NIH TB-CB tests had good convergent and discriminant validity, though tests in the executive functioning domain had high inter-correlations with other cognitive domains. Computer use was strongly associated with higher NIH TB-CB overall and fluid cognition composite scores.

The NIH TB-CB is a valid assessment for the oldest-old samples, with relatively weak validity in the domain of executive functioning. Computer use’s impact on composite scores could be due to the executive demands of learning to use a tablet. Strong relationships of executive function with other cognitive domains could be due to cognitive dedifferentiation. Overall, the NIH TB-CB could be useful for testing cognition in the oldest-old and the impact of aging on cognition in older populations.

Research shows that mental demands at work affect later-life cognitive functioning and dementia risk, but systematic assessment of protective mental work demands (PMWDs) is still missing. The goal of this research was to develop a questionnaire to assess PMWDs.

The instrument was developed in accordance with internationally recognized scientific standards comprising conceptualization, pretesting, and validation via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple regression analyses.

We included 346 participants, 72.3% female, with an average age of 56.3 years.

Item pool, sociodemographic questions, and cognitive tests: Trail-Making Test A/B, Word List Recall, Verbal Fluency Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Reading Minds in the Eyes Test.

CFAs of eight existing PMWD-concepts revealed weaker fit indices than PCA of the item pool that resulted in five concepts. We computed multivariate regression analyses with all 13 PMWD-concepts as predictors of cognitive functioning. After removing PMWD-concepts that predicted less than two cognitive test scores and excluding others due to overlapping items, the final questionnaire contained four PMWD-concepts: Mental Workload (three items, Cronbach’s α = .58), Verbal Demands (four, Cronbach’s α = .74), Information Load (six, Cronbach’s α = .83), and Extended Job Control (six, Cronbach’s α = .83).

The PMWD-Questionnaire intends to assess protective mental demands at the workplace. Information processing demands and job control make up the primary components emphasizing their relevance regarding cognitive health in old age. Long-term follow-up studies will need to validate construct validity with respect to dementia risk.