Benton judgment of line orientation test: Examination of four short forms.

Objective: This multicenter retrospective study aimed at examining the clinical accuracy of four 15-item versions (Woodard's O and E; Quall's Q and S) of the original 30-item Benton judgment of line orientation test in a mixed clinical sample of 260 patients. It is a test frequently used as a measure of visuospatial processing. It has the advantage of requiring minimal motor skills, while a major weakness is the lengthy administration time.Method: An archival search was conducted within four in- and out-patient clinics. The frequency and magnitude of score differences were calculated to examine the equivalence of the short forms. We then checked the clinical accuracy of the short forms concerning classification of impaired, borderline, and non-impaired performance, according to NEURONORMA norms. After that, we calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and kappa coefficients to assess the classification outcome of the short versions compared to the long version, when using a dichotomous classification (impaired versus intact performance).Results: When applying NEURONORMA norms, specificity (99.1%), PPV (93.1%), and kappa coefficient (0.87) were highest for version E. NPV (99.4%) and sensitivity (95.5%) were highest for version S, but the PPV of this version was relatively low (67.7%).Conclusions: We suggest use of version E when a short test is needed, as specificity, kappa coefficient, and PPV are highest for this version, while maintaining a high NPV (97.8%). However, future research should develop new normative data for these short 15-item versions.

French translation and normation of the Parkinson Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment (PANDA).

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease (PD) are often underestimated in routine clinical practice, partly due to the lack of short screening tests. The "Parkinson Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment" (PANDA) is a new convenient tool, validated in German, to assess cognition in PD. It consists of five cognitive tasks and a brief mood questionnaire, and is designed for the early detection of mild cognitive deficits as well as dementia. AIMS: To translate the PANDA into French and provide normative data for a French speaking population. METHODS: The translation was made by means of the translation/re-translation method. The normation was conducted with 61 control subjects (CS). The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered concurrently. A comparison was made with the original study's control group (CG) to determine whether the German algorithms for converting the raw scores could also be used with the French version or whether a new procedure had to be developed. All statistics were conducted with SPSS Statistics18. RESULTS: There is a significant correlation between the PANDA total score and MMSE (r=0.42, p=0.001). Analysis of the total converted scores shows no significant correlation with age (r=-0.19; p=0.14). After correction for education, there is no significant difference between our CS and the original study's CG (t=1.50; p=0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the PANDA French translation can be used with the same transformation algorithms as the German version, when adding a correction for education.

The Guy's Neurological Disability Scale in patients with multiple sclerosis: a clinical evaluation of its reliability and validity.

OBJECTIVE: To establish reliability and validity of the Guy's Neurological Disability Scale (GNDS) for the assessment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to investigate whether it can be used by postal questionnaire. DESIGN: An observational study assessing one group of 22 patients using the GNDS face-to-face, repeating the assessment two or three weeks later with other tests; and assessing a second group of 21 patients first using a postal version of the GNDS and then seeing them face-to-face. SETTING: Patients in the community attending a day centre or a voluntary support group. SUBJECTS: Patients with multiple sclerosis. MEASURES: The GNDS was the primary measure, and was compared with the Barthel Index, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Short Orientation Concentration and Memory Test, the Nine-hole Peg Test, the Rivermead Mobility Index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, visual acuity assessment, swallowing 50 ml of water, and a clinical assessment of dysarthria. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the GNDS total score (r= 0.972) and each of its components (r varied from 0.685 to 0.987) was good. When compared with the EDSS or the Barthel, the GNDS had good validity (respectively r = 0.636 and r = -0.757). The validity was also measured for the different areas of the GNDS by comparison with corresponding indices or test. The results varied from good to excellent (r from -0.557 to 0.910). The results were only a little less reliable when a postal questionnaire was used. CONCLUSION: The GNDS is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of MS patients. The test-retest correlation varies from good to excellent. It can be used as postal questionnaire even if, as expected, the interviewer-administered method shows slightly better results.