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Validating the Luria-Nebraska in assessing cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
Abstracts of 16th Annual Meeting
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in this neuropsychiatric population and recommended for clinical use. However, we recommend caution in the use of FR until an internally consistent form is developed.
Winegarden, B. J., Hoff, A. L., Moses, J. A., & Faustman, W. O. Validating the Luria-Nebraska in Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia. Neuropsychological measures in schizophrenia research may be used for both disorder subtyping (e.g., presence or absence of significant deficits) and correlative biological work with measures such as MRI-derived brain morphology. A major problem in neuropsychological research in schizophrenia is the use of diverse cognitive testing measures which can inhibit replicability and comparability across patient samples. We sought to determine the external validity of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) in a sample of 44 male inpatients (mean age = 35.6 + 7.5) who met DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia. Patients were administered the LNNB in addition to a battery of measures used in prior schizophrenia research studies (e.g., Hoff et al., 1992). These additional measures included tests of executive functioning (e.g., Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Booklet Category Test), verbal (e.g., CVLT) and spatial memory (e.g., BVRT), language (e.g., Boston Naming Test, COWA), concentration/speed (e.g., Trail Making Tests A & B, cancellation test), and sensory/perceptual functioning (finger agnosis and number writing). Global impairment indices were derived for both the LNNB (mean of clinical scales, number of scales exceeding critical level) and the other tests based on mean z-scores. The results found a strong association between the mean of the LNNB clinical scales (rs = -0.87), the number of LNNB clinical scales above critical level (rs = -0.86) and the global impairment index derived from the non-LNNB measures. In addition, there was a strong association (rs = -0.85) between the global impairment index of the non-LNNB tests, and a composite mean of three LNNB clinical scales (C2 = rhythm, C I0 = memory, and C ll = intellectual processes) shown in prior schizophrenia research to be sensitive to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (Moses, 1983). The results suggest that the LNNB is a valid measure for detecting the presence/absence of global cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients. In addition, three LNNB clinical scales (C2, C 10, C 11 ) can efficiently yield comparable results regarding overall cognitive performance in this sample.
Wong, T. M., Cushman, L. A., Gaudette, M. D., Schneider, W., & Lloyd, H. A. Unawareness of Cognitive Deficit and Psychological Denial in Brain Injury. Thirty-two brain-injured patients were administered a structured interview assessing their level of awareness of neuropsychological deficits, and two measures of their tendency to present themselves in a favorable light. The results revealed the lack of a significant relationship between the Awareness Interview scores and the MMPI K scale scores (r = 0.233, p > .05, one-tailed), but a small, yet significant relationship between the Awareness Interview scores and the PSI Defensiveness scale scores (r = .321, p < .05, one-tailed). In summary, preliminary support for the relative independence of neuropsychological unawareness and psychological denial was found. However, refinement of the existing instruments and further similar research is needed before more definitive conclusions can be made in regard to this relationship.
Woodruff, G. R., & Dickson, A. L. Unique and Shared Components of Executive Function as Measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Halstead Categories Test. The purpose of this study was to detect the degree to which components of executive function are measured by the Halstead Categories Test (HCT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The Russell Revision (Russell & Levy, 1987) of the Booklet form of the HCT and
431
in this neuropsychiatric population and recommended for clinical use. However, we recommend caution in the use of FR until an internally consistent form is developed.
Winegarden, B. J., Hoff, A. L., Moses, J. A., & Faustman, W. O. Validating the Luria-Nebraska in Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia. Neuropsychological measures in schizophrenia research may be used for both disorder subtyping (e.g., presence or absence of significant deficits) and correlative biological work with measures such as MRI-derived brain morphology. A major problem in neuropsychological research in schizophrenia is the use of diverse cognitive testing measures which can inhibit replicability and comparability across patient samples. We sought to determine the external validity of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) in a sample of 44 male inpatients (mean age = 35.6 + 7.5) who met DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia. Patients were administered the LNNB in addition to a battery of measures used in prior schizophrenia research studies (e.g., Hoff et al., 1992). These additional measures included tests of executive functioning (e.g., Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Booklet Category Test), verbal (e.g., CVLT) and spatial memory (e.g., BVRT), language (e.g., Boston Naming Test, COWA), concentration/speed (e.g., Trail Making Tests A & B, cancellation test), and sensory/perceptual functioning (finger agnosis and number writing). Global impairment indices were derived for both the LNNB (mean of clinical scales, number of scales exceeding critical level) and the other tests based on mean z-scores. The results found a strong association between the mean of the LNNB clinical scales (rs = -0.87), the number of LNNB clinical scales above critical level (rs = -0.86) and the global impairment index derived from the non-LNNB measures. In addition, there was a strong association (rs = -0.85) between the global impairment index of the non-LNNB tests, and a composite mean of three LNNB clinical scales (C2 = rhythm, C I0 = memory, and C ll = intellectual processes) shown in prior schizophrenia research to be sensitive to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (Moses, 1983). The results suggest that the LNNB is a valid measure for detecting the presence/absence of global cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients. In addition, three LNNB clinical scales (C2, C 10, C 11 ) can efficiently yield comparable results regarding overall cognitive performance in this sample.
Wong, T. M., Cushman, L. A., Gaudette, M. D., Schneider, W., & Lloyd, H. A. Unawareness of Cognitive Deficit and Psychological Denial in Brain Injury. Thirty-two brain-injured patients were administered a structured interview assessing their level of awareness of neuropsychological deficits, and two measures of their tendency to present themselves in a favorable light. The results revealed the lack of a significant relationship between the Awareness Interview scores and the MMPI K scale scores (r = 0.233, p > .05, one-tailed), but a small, yet significant relationship between the Awareness Interview scores and the PSI Defensiveness scale scores (r = .321, p < .05, one-tailed). In summary, preliminary support for the relative independence of neuropsychological unawareness and psychological denial was found. However, refinement of the existing instruments and further similar research is needed before more definitive conclusions can be made in regard to this relationship.
Woodruff, G. R., & Dickson, A. L. Unique and Shared Components of Executive Function as Measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Halstead Categories Test. The purpose of this study was to detect the degree to which components of executive function are measured by the Halstead Categories Test (HCT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The Russell Revision (Russell & Levy, 1987) of the Booklet form of the HCT and