Evangelina Valeria Cores

The Effect of Culture on Two Information-Processing Speed Tests.

The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) has been proposed to replace the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3 (PASAT-3) in the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite because it has the same validity but easy and shorter administration. However, among the two tests, the one that is most affected by culture is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of Argentinian and North American populations on the SDMT and PASAT-3. The SDMT and PASAT-3 were administered to 137 healthy volunteers from Buffalo, NY, and 137 healthy participants from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Participants were matched by gender, age (±2), and education (±1). Significant differences were found on the SDMT but not on the PASAT-3. Significant and low correlations were found between the tests and years of education. The SDMT is more affected by culture than is the PASAT-3. Possible interpretations of this result are presented.

Normatization of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test-Oral Version in a Latin American Country

The aim of this study was to standardize the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)-Oral version in a healthy population living in Argentina and to analyze the influence that age, gender, and education have on the SDMT. Secondarily, it is intended to analyze the performance of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on this test. Two hundred ninety-seven healthy participants were evaluated; they had an average age of 39.28 years and 13.87 years of schooling; 77.8% were women. The sample was segmented according to age in three groups: younger than 35 years old, 36 to 50 years old, and 51 to 70 years old. The sample was also segmented according to years of schooling in three groups: 11 years or less, 12 to 16 years, and more than 16 years. All participants were evaluated with the oral version of the SDMT. A clinical sample of 111 patients with MS was also assessed. The mean on the SDMT for the total sample was 51.34 (SD = 12.76). The differences were significant between all groups, p < .05, according to age. The participants with a higher level of education performed better than did those with moderate education and those with less schooling, p < .05. There was a significant difference between patients with MS and healthy controls, p < .01. The SDMT is influenced by age as well as by schooling, although not by gender. The norms displayed here will be useful to accurately evaluate the yield of the patients in the neuropsychological clinic when comparing them with their group of reference. It was also demonstrated that the SDMT can discriminate between patients with MS and healthy people.

Validation of the PASAT in Argentina

ABSTRACT The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is one of the most used neuropsychological tests to assess information processing speed and working memory in brain injured patients. This study was carried out with the purpose of obtaining normative data for the PASAT-3″ in a healthy Argentinean population, which would result in a reference control population. The PASAT-3″ was administered in a sample of 296 healthy voluntary subjects, born and living in Argentina. The age range went from 20 to 70 years-old. The level of education was 0 to 13 or more years of schooling. The sample obtained a mean of 44.60 (SD = 10.72) in the PASAT-3″. It was found that the score obtained in the PASAT-3″ was related to the age and the level of instruction of the participants. Their performance diminished as age increased and, conversely, it increased as the level of instruction was higher. Normative data was obtained for a Latin American population from Argentina. Percentile distributions obtained by decades of age and different levels of education should be considered as useful reference values for clinicians and investigators when applying the PASAT-3″ to assess cognitive function in different pathologies.

Estudios de la memoria prospectiva en pacientes con lesión cerebral

Resumen Introduccion La capacidad de recordar realizar una accion en el futuro o de evocar intenciones demoradas, tambien llamada memoria prospectiva (MP), ha sido objeto de estudio de numerosas investigaciones dentro del marco de la neuropsicologia en los ultimos anos debido a la importancia de la indemnidad de esta habilidad para desarrollar una vida independiente. Estas investigaciones han dado el resultado de un gran avance en el conocimiento del rendimiento de MP de los pacientes con distintas enfermedades neurologicas: traumatismo craneoencefalico, enfermedad de Parkinson, demencia de tipo Alzheimer, esclerosis multiple, epilepsia, sindrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida, sindrome de Korsakoff, encefalitis herpetica y accidente cerebrovascular. A su vez, estos estudios realizan sus aportes al desarrollo de modelos teoricos de MP. Objetivos En este articulo se revisan estudios neuropsicologicos en MP de los ultimos diez anos y su implicancia sobre los modelos teoricos de MP, asi como la utilidad de los descubrimientos en el desarrollo de estrategias terapeuticas de neurorrehabilitacion cognitiva. Desarrollo Se describen las investigaciones dentro de cada patologia, resaltando el aspecto de la MP analizado y tratando de integrar los distintos desarrollos. Conclusiones Se sacan conclusiones acerca del estado de avance en este campo, se exponen las limitaciones de un estudio de revision en esta area y se sugieren direcciones futuras de la investigacion.