Louis F. D'Elia

Normative data stratified by age and education for the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS): Initial report

Neuropsychological assessment of monolingual Spanish-speaking people in the United States is both a common practice and an ethical dilemma. Lack of appropriate tests, the absence of norms, use of interpreters, and the multiplicity of in-house translations of commonly used measures add to the problem of accurate assessment. This paper helps address the lack of appropriate measures for the neuropsychological assessment of Latinos in the United States by providing a standardization of the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS). Normative data on a sample of 300 Hispanic subjects stratified by gender, age, and education are provided. Current results reveal that not one measure of cognitive functioning is free from education effects. Both nonverbal measures and psychomotor speed measures were highly related to education. Age effects were noted on measures of psychomotor speed, visuospatial reasoning, and visuoconstructive skills. Gender effects were found on measures of psychomotor speed and language, with males achieving higher scores than females. The limitations of the current findings are considered. Further research for the validation of the NeSBHIS with clinical populations, as well as further normative data collection at the national and international levels, is needed.

Rey-osterrieth complex figure performance in healthy, older adults: Relationship to age, education, sex, and IQ

Abstract Despite the widespread use of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RO) in clinical practice and research protocols, minimal information is available regarding the influence of demographic factors and intellectual level on test performance, particularly in older individuals. The purpose of the present study was to provide data regarding the relationship of age, IQ, education, and sex to RO copy, 3-min recall, and percent retention in healthy middle-aged and older individuals. Data were obtained on 91 individuals screened for the absence of significant medical, neurologic, and psychiatric illness. RO performance was most closely associated with age and FSIQ; sex and education were not predictive of RO scores. Significantly poorer RO scores did not emerge until age 70 and older.

Alternate forms of the auditory-verbal learning test: issues of test comparability, longitudinal reliability, and moderating demographic variables☆

The present investigation examines the alternate-form and longitudinal reliability of two versions of the Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) on a large, multiregional, healthy male sample. Subjects included 2,059 bisexual and homosexual HIV-seronegative males recruited from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study from centers in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. The findings revealed no significant differences between forms upon initial or 1-year longitudinal administration, supporting the equivalence of the two versions. However, significant practice effects were noted longitudinally, arguing for the need of appropriate retest normative data. Furthermore, as age, ethnicity, and education were found to significantly affect test performance, it is recommended that normative data be interpreted according to these variables. In addition to providing normative and longitudinal data, this investigation presents information concerning the use and limitations of the alternate forms of the AVLT.

Cognitive functioning in premenstrual syndrome

Objective To evaluate cognitive functioning in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and controls during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Methods Thirty women with PMS and 31 controls were selected on the basis of psychiatric interview and prospective daily diary recordings. Subjects were tested on two occasions, follicular (days 8–10) and luteal (days 24–26), using complex tasks consisting of measures validated previously for the assessment of “executive” frontal-lobe functions. Tests were counterbalanced for order across subjects. Results The Beck Depression Inventory scores were significantly different between the groups and across time (P < .001). Women with PMS had a mean luteal phase Beck score of 13.3 consistent with mild-to-moderate premenstrual depression. There were no statistically significant score differences in tests for attention, memory, cognitive flexibility, and overall mental agility. The evaluation of our preliminary data with 30 PMS subjects and 31 controls indicated a very small effect size (.02). To detect an effect size this small (if in fact one exists) with a power of .8 would require a sample of more than 1000 subjects per group. Conclusion Our sample of women with PMS failed to demonstrate objective evidence of diminished cognitive performance, despite subjective feelings of inadequacy.

Stroop color-word performance of African Americans

Abstract This investigation assessed the ability of subjects to maintain a set in the face of varying demands on perceptual persistence via the Stroop Color-Interference Test. Forty-two African American adults with unremarkable neurological and psychiatric histories served as the research participants. Participants were administered a modified version of the Stroop (Comalli version). In the current study, significant gender differences were noted on the total time to complete the Color Naming and Word Reading cards, with women out-performing men. These preliminary results represent an attempt to address the need for more normative data on this population.

The African‐American Health Project (AAHP): Study overview and select findings on high risk behaviors and psychiatric disorders in African American men

The AAHP investigated the neurobehavioral and psychosocial sequelae of HIV-1 and substance use in urban African American men. A community resident sample of 502 African American men stratified by HIV-1 serostatus, drug use and sexual orientation were recruited. A comprehensive battery of measures of neurobehavioral and health status, lifestyle and psychosocial characteristics were administered to all participants, and a stratified sub-sample of 120 participants were tested using state of the art brain imaging techniques to investigate differences in the functional and neurophysiologic effects of HIV-1 and substance use. An overview of the methodology of the AAHP and results on high risk sexual and substance use behaviors, and psychiatric disorders are presented and discussed. The sample was primarily HIV-negative (63%), heterosexual (49% gay or bisexual) and a high percentage used substances during the past year (56% used drugs and 30% moderate/heavy drinkers). High-risk sexual practices were relatively prevalent, and a high percentage reported a history of STDs and other infections. Finally, 25% had a current psychiatric disorder, with gays/bisexuals and HIV-seropositives evidencing greater psychiatric vulnerability. More research is needed to further explore the apparent greater risk for psychiatric disorders among gay and bisexual men, and to determine whether being African American and lower social class exacerbate this risk.

Anxiety and problem solving in middle-aged and elderly adults

This study was designed to examine effects of differences in age, health, education, and sex on state and trait anxiety, and to assess interrelations between anxiety and performance on reasoning and problem solving tests. A significant main effect of health status was obtained for trait anxiety, but age, education, and sex effects were nonsignificant for both anxiety variables. Anxiety ratings were inversely correlated with performance on tests of reasoning and problem solving (traditional and practical Piagetian tasks, matrices, and similarities), but the pattern of intercorrelations was stronger within the middle-aged (40-59 years) as opposed to the elderly (60-79 years) groups. The findings fail to support the hypothesis that anxiety increases with age, or that the elderly are disproportionately affected by anxiety in testing situations.

Simultaneous visual sustained attention-discrimination and goal-directed search are associated with excretion of catecholaminergic metabolites in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The relationship between visual sustained attention-discrimination and goal-directed search was evaluated using a visual discrimination and exploration (goal-directed search) paradigm and urinary excretion of catecholaminergic metabolites [dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE)] in 6–12 year-old children ( n = 31) strictly selected and diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using diagnostic criteria and other objective indices. The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) (DSM-IV) was used to formally diagnose ADHD in children. A cognitive laboratory test was used to assess visual sustained attention-discrimination and goal-directed search (Children Color Trails Test 1 and 2). Urinary excretion of DA and NE metabolites was measured via reversed high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Pearson product-moment correlations were used to investigate the relationship between visual sustained attention and goal-directed search and urinary catecholamine metabolites of DA and NE. The present findings revealed a positive and moderately significant relationship between visual sustained attention and visual exploration and catecholaminergic metabolite levels of NE and DA, according to expectation. Decreased visual sustained attention and goal-directed search was associated with decreased DA and NE metabolite levels. The present results are consistent with past research with children with ADHD and studies with primates examining the intricate and respective interaction between the Locus Coeruleus and visual sustained attention-discrimination and the Ventral Tegmental Area and goal-directed search (visual exploration) respectively modulated through NE and DA. Applied and theoretical issues associated with the present findings also are discussed addressing recent computer-generated analogues of action selection models within the context of the extant findings.