A brief computerized self-screen for dementia.

Among his many contributions to the field of neuropsychology, Arthur Benton recognized the broad public health significance and unique ability of focused neuropsychological tests to screen for dementia. The need for validated screening tests for the presence of dementia will continue to grow as the cumulative prevalence of dementia grows and as our ability to treat or slow the progression of these diseases improves. We have developed a brief, self-administered computerized screening test for dementia, which is user friendly to the majority of elderly participants, including those with dementia. This test demonstrates comparable discriminant validity to the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and its subscales correlate well with the traditional neuropsychological tests upon which it is based. We discuss its relative merits and limitations in comparison to other current instruments as well as suggesting future directions for this field.

Callosal neglect in hydrocephalus.

A functional disconnection of the corpus callosum (CC) can induce a form of spatial neglect where each hand (e.g., left) when attempting to bisect lines in the opposite (e.g., right) hemispace deviates toward its own (e.g., left) hemispace. Patients with hydrocephalus often show thinning of the CC but callosal neglect has not been reported in this condition. Two right-handed patients with hydrocephalus and thinning of the CC, as well as six matched controls, were assessed for neglect by performing the line bisection task in left, right and center space with their right and left hands. When compared to controls neither patient, using either their right or left hands, demonstrated a bias in the center or left space conditions, but with lines in right space both subjects' left hand deviated significantly to the left. Thus, patients with hydrocephalic interhemispheric functional disconnection might show a form of callosal neglect. This hemispatial-hand asymmetry of deviation, however, also might be related to the disinhibition of the attentionally dominant right hemisphere.