Neuropsychological Examinations

Question 1

Orientation

Answer 1

3 spheres: who, when, and where asks questions about these 3 to assess the extent and duration of confusion and amnesia

• Galveston Orientation Amnesia Test (GOAT)
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

Question 2

Sensation and Perception Items

Answer 2

visual field exam – look straight ahead and tell me which finger i am moving when arms are stretched out
discriminating auditory stimuli – saying two words and deciding whether they are the same or different

Question 3

Sensation and Perception Test

Answer 3

Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery - tests for finger agnosia, skin writing recognition, and sensory extinction in the tactile, auditory, and visual modalities

Question 4

Attention & Concentration Items

Answer 4

• count from 1-20 as quickly as you can
• recite the days of the week backwards
• saying numbers and having the patient repeat them forewords or backwards
• tap the table when you hear me say the number 4

Question 5

Attention & Concentration Test

Answer 5

Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) – filling in numbers according to matching symbols (sustained attention)
d2 – selective attention

Question 6

Motor Skills Items

Answer 6

• responding to simple commands (raise right arm)

- graphomotor skills – copy this image

Question 7

Motor Skills Tests

Answer 7

standardized (Halstead-Reitan) – grip strength and finger tapping speed

Question 8

Verbal Functioning/ Language Items

Answer 8

Ability to comprehend simple spoken commands – wave hello, turn over the paper
Expressive Speech – tell me what happiness means

Question 9

Verbal Functioning/ Language Tests

Answer 9

Token test - auditory comprehension (receptive language)
Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA) - measure verbal fluency by asking how many words the patient can make with a specific letter

Question 10

Visuospatial Organization Items

Answer 10

directional skills and mazes - clock drawing and facial recognition
visual sequencing - comprehend meaning of activity and be able to correctly assemble the pictures to form sequences of steps

Question 11

Visuospatial Test

Answer 11

Bender Gestalt test – 9 geometric designs that patients must reproduce exactly
Rey-Osterrieth – reproducing an intricate figure

Question 12

Memory Items

Answer 12

free recall - say 5 words then repeat them after elapsed time
both auditory and visual recall

Question 13

Memory Tests

Answer 13

Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) – consists of 7 subtests and is sensitive to memory disorders and memory defects associated with aging