1
|
Hammers DB, Miranda M, Abildskov TJ, Tate DF, Wilde EA, Spencer RJ. Consideration of different scoring approaches for a verbal incidental learning measure from the WAIS-IV using hippocampal volumes. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023; 30:43-53. [PMID: 33882772 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1909592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Objective: While Spencer's verbal incidental learning (IL) task-from Vocabulary and Similarities subtests of the WAIS-has been validated relative to traditional memory measures and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, the effectiveness of the particular scoring method used has not been assessed relative to alternative scoring weightings. The purpose of this study was to compare original and alternative scoring methods of this IL task by using an AD biomarker-benchmark to arrive at an optimal approach. Methods: Fifty-five memory-clinic patients aged 59-87 received neuropsychological assessment, measures of IL, and quantitative brain imaging. Partial correlation coefficients with total hippocampal volume-controlling for age, sex, and intracranial volume-were assessed across several IL scoring methods, and partial correlations with measures of memory were examined to evaluate convergent validity.Results: IL scoring methods maximizing the contribution of paired-associate-recall-performance were significantly correlated with both hippocampal volumes and traditional memory measures, whereas discrimination-emphasized scoring methods were not.Conclusions: IL scoring methods emphasizing memory paired-associate recall appeared to be preferable to those emphasizing memory discrimination. Administration of the IL- Similarities subtest alone, without IL- Vocabulary, may strike a balance between strength of relationships with both hippocampal volumes and standard memory measures, while also limiting administration time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin B Hammers
- Department of Neurology, Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Michelle Miranda
- Department of Neurology, Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tracy J Abildskov
- Department of Neurology, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - David F Tate
- Department of Neurology, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Elisabeth A Wilde
- Department of Neurology, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Robert J Spencer
- Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Section, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gerstenecker A, Norling AM, Jacob A, Lazar RM. Silent Brain Infarction, Delirium, and Cognition in Three Invasive Cardiovascular Procedures: a Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2022; 33:474-491. [PMID: 35804216 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-022-09548-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Silent brain infarctions (SBIs) are brain lesions noted on neuroimaging that are not associated with clinical symptoms. SBIs are associated with a number of vascular risk factors and are common following invasive cardiovascular procedures such as atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Although not eliciting signs of clinical stroke, SBIs are associated with increased frailty, and motor and mood features. Less is known, however, about the relationship between SBI, cognition, and delirium following invasive cardiac procedures and most investigations into these relationships have been reported in large-scale epidemiological studies. In the current paper, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate evidence of a relationship between SBI, delirium, and cognitive decline following CABG, AF ablation, and TAVR. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria. In general, our review identified conflicting results for each cardiac procedure, with some studies suggesting a relationship between SBI, cognitive impairment, and delirium, whereas others showed no relationship between SBI, cognitive impairment, and delirium. Potential reasons for this discrepancy as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gerstenecker
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. .,Alzheimer's Disease Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. .,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - Amani M Norling
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Alexandra Jacob
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Ronald M Lazar
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Influence of Different Dual-Task Conditions During Straight or Curved Walking on Gait Performance of Physically Active Older Women With Cognitive Decline. J Aging Phys Act 2021; 30:411-420. [PMID: 34510022 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2021-0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Real-world walking requires shifting attention from different cognitive demands to adapt gait. This study aims to evaluate the effect of dual tasking on spatiotemporal gait parameters of older adults. Participants were asked to perform a primary complex single-walking task, consisting of a fast-paced linear and a curved gait. Primary task was performed separately and simultaneously with different motor and cognitive secondary tasks. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, walk ratio, and walk stability ratio were measured. Apart from stride length, which stood relatively unchanged, gait speed and cadence were strongly affected by cognitive dual tasking. Cadence seems to be the most impacted by dual tasking during curved gait as it combines challenges of both primary and secondary tasks. Also, during curved phase, walking ratio was significantly lower and stability ratio was greater demonstrating that participants adopted a cautious gait where maintenance of stability took preference over efficiency.
Collapse
|
4
|
Hammers DB, Gradwohl BD, Kucera A, Abildskov TJ, Wilde EA, Spencer RJ. Preliminary Validation of the Learning Ratio for the HVLT-R and BVMT-R in Older Adults. Cogn Behav Neurol 2021; 34:170-181. [PMID: 34473668 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The learning slope is typically represented as the raw difference between the final score and the score of the first learning trial. A new method for calculating the learning slope, the learning ratio (LR), was recently developed; it is typically represented as the number of items that are learned after the first trial divided by the number of items that are yet to be learned. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the convergent and criterion validity of the LR in order to understand its sensitivity to Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology. METHOD Fifty-six patients from a memory clinic underwent standard neuropsychological assessment and quantitative brain imaging. LR scores were calculated from the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised and were compared with both standard memory measures and total hippocampal volumes, as well as between individuals with AD and those with mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS Lower LR scores were consistently associated with poorer performances on standard memory measures and smaller total hippocampal volumes, generally more so than traditional learning slope scores. The LR scores of the AD group were smaller than those of the group with mild cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the aggregation of LR scores into a single metric was partially supported. CONCLUSION The LR is sensitive to AD pathology along the AD continuum. This result supports previous claims that the LR score can reflect learning capacity better than traditional learning calculations can by considering the amount of information that is learned at trial 1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin B Hammers
- Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Brian D Gradwohl
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Section, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Tracy J Abildskov
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Elisabeth A Wilde
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
- George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Robert J Spencer
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Section, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Spencer RJ, Gradwohl BD, Williams TF, Kordovski VM, Hammers DB. Developing learning slope scores for the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2020; 29:584-590. [PMID: 32654521 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2020.1791870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Initial learning and learning slope are often acknowledged as important qualitative aspects of learning, but the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) contains discrete indices for neither. The traditional method of calculating learning slope involves a difference score between the last trial and first trial, which is referred to as raw learning score (RLS). However, this method does not account for initial Trial One performance and produces a ceiling effect that penalizes efficient first learners. We propose an alternative method of calculating learning score that accounts for initial learning performance, called learning ratio (LR), and we compared the psychometric and predictive properties of these methods. Performances from the List Learning and Story Memory subtests were used to create the indices, and composite learning scores were calculated by combining List Learning and Story Memory. The sample included 289 military veterans (mean age = 65.9 [12.6], education = 13.3 [2.4]), most of whom were male, undergoing neuropsychological assessments that included the RBANS. Results indicated that LR demonstrated superior correlations with criterion measures of memory when compared with RLS, and the LR composite score better discriminated between those with and without a neurocognitive diagnosis, AUC = 0.81 (0.76-0.87), than the RLS composite, AUC = 0.70 (0.64-0.76). We concluded that scores from the RBANS can be computed for initial learning and learning slope and that the LR method of calculating learning is superior to RLS in this older veteran sample.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Spencer
- Mental Health, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Brian D Gradwohl
- Mental Health, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hammers DB, Kucera A, Spencer RJ, Abildskov TJ, Archibald ZG, Hoffman JM, Wilde EA. Examining the Relationship between a Verbal Incidental Learning Measure from the WAIS-IV and Neuroimaging Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Pathology. Dev Neuropsychol 2020; 45:95-109. [PMID: 32374196 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2020.1762602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Convergent validation of a verbal incidental learning (IL) task from the WAIS-IV using neuroimaging biomarkers is warranted to understand its sensitivity to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Fifty-five memory clinic patients aged 59 to 87 years received neuropsychological assessment, and measures of IL and quantitative brain imaging. Worse IL-Total Score and IL-Similarities performances were significantly associated with smaller hemispheric hippocampal volumes. IL measures were not significantly correlated with cerebral β-amyloid burden, though a trend was present and effect sizes were mild. These hippocampal volume results suggest that this IL task may be sensitive to AD pathology along the AD continuum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin B Hammers
- Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Amanda Kucera
- University of Utah Health Care , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Robert J Spencer
- Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System , Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tracy J Abildskov
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Zane G Archibald
- Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - John M Hoffman
- Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Wilde
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, Department of Neurology, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hale AC, Tolle KA, Kitchen Andren KA, Spencer RJ. Cross-validation of incidental learning tasks from the WAIS-IV as a measure of memory. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2019; 27:517-524. [PMID: 30793966 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2019.1570930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Although incidental learning (IL) routinely occurs in everyday life, it is infrequently assessed during neuropsychological evaluations. This study aimed to further examine the concurrent validity of IL measures based on the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Participants included 43 Veterans referred for outpatient neuropsychological testing. Performances on the IL procedures correlated strongly with performances on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Immediate and Delayed Recall Indices (r = .48 to r = .78). These results indicate that the IL procedures from selected WAIS-IV subtests provided an efficient and valid measure of memory. In particular, the task based on the Similarities subtest provided exceptionally high value as a screen for memory problems. These IL procedures, which require minimal additional administration time, capitalize on the semantic encoding that is inherent in completing the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests, and offer a complementary approach to standard memory assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Hale
- VA Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Mental Health Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kathryn A Tolle
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Mental Health Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katherine A Kitchen Andren
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Mental Health Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, Rehabilitation Service, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
| | - Robert J Spencer
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Mental Health Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|