Neuropsychological diagnostics

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The aim of neuropsychological diagnostics is to measure cognitive and emotional dysfunctions as objectively as possible after damage to or disease of the brain. In addition, the patient's reactions to these disorders should be determined (see coping ).

object

Neuropsychological diagnostics is based on clinical neuropsychology , the methodological basis is psychological diagnostics . Cognitive, emotional, motivational and behavioral consequences of damage or dysfunction of the brain should be recorded and objectified in terms of their type, severity and duration.

The practical implementation consists in the diagnosis of neuropsychological deficits and limitations, and based on this, in the development and implementation of therapeutic methods .

The Neuropsychology is an interdisciplinary subspecialty of clinical psychology and neuroscience . She deals with the variation of physiological processes, especially in the central nervous system, and their effects on psychological processes. The Clinical Neuropsychology specifically studied the relationship between damage-related changes in the central nervous system and the resulting functional deficits, activity disorders and restrictions on participation in various fields of life, d. H. it examines the disturbance aspect of these functions.

tasks

In 2005, the Society for Neuropsychology (GNP) described four tasks of neuropsychological diagnostics:

  • Determination of the current cognitive and affective state as well as the effects on behavior with regard to such areas as perception, attention, memory, language, knowledge, affectivity and personality
  • Objectification of functional impairments (i.e. what limiting value do these disorders have in everyday life?)
  • Follow-up examinations (i.e. how does the disorder and its effects change over time?)
  • Assessment (i.e. submitting expert opinions)

A wide variety of neuropsychological examination procedures ( anamnesis ), self-reports by patients, external reports by relatives, behavioral observations and special standardized psychological test procedures are available for this purpose.

Neuropsychological test procedures

Neuropsychological test procedures (the diagnostic methods used) are standardized test procedures for cognitive performance and other psychological functions. The spectrum of the surveyed functional areas is very broad and ranges from intelligence tests to very differentiated tests of attention , memory and perception as well as more complex executive functions.

Neuropsychological test methods can e.g. B. the following areas are recorded and checked:

Methods

The results of neuropsychological test procedures are usually given as standardized scale values. These represent the comparison of measured test values ​​with other people of the same age with healthy brain. This enables precise statements to be made about deviations in performance compared to people of the same age with healthy brain (deficits and strengths). These comparisons are usually given as percentile ranks (PR) or T values (T), so-called IQ values ​​are common in intelligence tests . The test procedures should be constructed according to the quality criteria of validity , reliability and objectivity .

Applications

Neuropsychological test procedures are used in psychology and medicine . They help z. B. in the reintegration after brain injuries, in the diagnosis of neurological diseases (such as dementia ) in which they provide information about deviations from the norm. On this basis, support measures can then be planned individually.

Classic procedures

Classic methods are so-called paper-pencil test methods , i. H. they are carried out in paper form for ticking or drawing z. B. as a questionnaire . Examples of this are the d2 test (self-propelled concentration) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (spatial perception and memory).

Modern procedures

In recent times, computer-aided test methods are increasingly being used which are superior to the paper-pencil test due to their measurement accuracy. Computer-aided test procedures are also characterized by a very high level of objectivity and standardization. This standardization relates both to the test procedure, the test execution and also to the fact that the individual measured values ​​e.g. B. be related to age reference persons with healthy brains.

Various test methods are available for diagnosing specific neuropsychological deficits. So was z. For example, the CERAD test program was developed in an international consortium specifically for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease .

The test battery for attentiveness testing (TAP, children's version KITAP) was designed for the attention sub -area in German-speaking countries.

The COGBAT Cognitive Basic Test set contains a compilation of important neuropsychological dimensions for clarifying the cognitive status of patients with neurological and / or mental illnesses.

Newer computer-aided test procedures not only enable the measurement of very specific functional areas in very special age segments, but also cover a very broad spectrum of functional areas (attention, memory, perception, executive functions, spatial processing, etc.) and can be used for children / adolescents as well as for Adults up to the geriatric sector can be used (CANDIT).

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Guidelines of the Society for Neuropsychology (GNP) from 2005: Neuropsychological diagnosis and therapy (Chapter 15, pp. 185 ff.)
  2. ↑ a b Keywords " Neuropsychological Diagnostics " and " Neuropsychological Examination Methods " in DORSCH (Encyclopedia for Psychology)
  3. ↑ MS Shin, SY Park et al .: Clinical and empirical applications of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. In: Nature protocols. Volume 1, Number 2, 2006, pp. 892-899, ISSN  1750-2799 . doi: 10.1038 / nprot.2006.115 . PMID 17406322 .
  4. ^ GG Fillenbaum, G. van Belle et al .: Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD): the first twenty years. In: Alzheimer's & Dementia . Volume 4, Number 2, March 2008, pp. 96-109, ISSN  1552-5279 . doi: 10.1016 / j.jalz.2007.08.005 . PMID 18631955 . PMC 2808763 (free full text).
  5. ↑ M. Berthold, S. Aschenbrenner, R. Debelak, J. Egle, K. Rodewald, D. Roesch-Ely, M. Sommer, M. Vetter, M. Weisbrod: When asking does matter: A comparison of subjective and objective measures in the Cognitive Basic Assessment (COGBAT) test battery in healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia. Poster presented at the International Neuropsychology Society Conference, Amsterdam, 10. – 13. July 2013.