Self-concept and quality of life following acquired brain injury: a pilot investigation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate through pilot exploration the relationships between depression, self-concept and perceived quality of life (QoL) in post-acute patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). METHODS: Nineteen patients with ABI were administered the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Quality of Life Inventory, along with the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale-2 and the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale, measures of self-concept. The relationships between these measures were explored using correlational analyses. RESULTS: Ratings of self-concept were correlated with perceived QoL, suggesting that poorer view of self was associated with lower subjective QoL. Additionally, depressive symptoms were associated with lower QoL ratings, consistent with previous research. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that intra-personal variables, such as self-concept and depression, impact the perceived QoL of the ABI survivor. Future research exploring the mediating effects of these variables on QoL may clarify this relationship and may aid in developing more effective interventions for these individuals.

Three screening batteries to detect cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.

To compare the sensitivities for detecting cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and administration times of three brief batteries of neuropsychological tests, 64 patients with MS completed the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Multiple Sclerosis (NPSBMS), the Screening Examination for Cognitive Impairment (SEFCI), and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Failure on a particular test was defined as a score below the 5th percentile for healthy controls, and the number of patients who failed at least one or two tests (out of four) was determined for each battery. Both the SEFCI and the NPSBMS identified significantly more patients with impairment than the RBANS, which was no more sensitive than the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Results were similar at both the one- and two-failed-tests criteria, but there were no significant differences between the SEFCI and the NPSBMS at either failure criterion. Mean administration time was 22.6 min for the SEFCI compared to 31.7 min for the NPSBMS (p < 0.001). Eleven (17%) of the patients refused to attempt the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), one component of the NPSBMS. For screening patents on a single occasion, the SEFCI is preferred because its administration time is shorter than the NPSBMS.

Are brain-damaged patients inappropriately labeled as malingering using the 21-item Test and the WMS-R Logical Memory Forced Choice Recognition Test.

This study examined the false positive hit rate of the 21-item Test and the WMS-R Logical Memory Forced Choice Recognition Test and compared the relationship between the measures in classifying biased responding/malingering. Of 40 patients referred for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, 18 were classified as brain-damaged based on independent neurological or neuroradiological examination. The remaining 22 patients could not be so classified on neurological or neuroradiological evidence and thus served as a medical control group. Findings indicated the brain-damaged group performed more poorly than did the control group across measures, and both groups, on the average, performed markedly better than that required to suggest biased responding. Also, taking both tests together, no individual patient was classified as malingering.

A non-typical neuropsychological case presentation of Huntington's disease.

The documentation of Huntington's disease as an autosomal-dominant disorder can be traced to the late 19th century, the first recorded cases as far back as the early 1600s. However, only recently have the neuropsychological correlates of the condition begun to be examined. Contemporary investigators have documented general findings of Huntington's Disease on a variety of cognitive and neuropsychological instruments with the presentation of the disorder generally being consistent from case to case. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the neuropsychological findings of Huntington's disease. Published research documenting functional impairments will be reviewed. A case will then be presented illustrating a somewhat non-typical neuropsychological presentation of the disorder.