Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) tests are sensitive to the declines in semantic processes found in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Though most settings use the total number of words generated as the primary index of performance on SVF tests, there is reason to believe that SVF interval scores (e.g., the number of words generated at four, 15-second intervals) or performance slopes derived from these interval scores (i.e., the change in rate of word generation across the four 15-second intervals) may be even more sensitive to cognitive changes in the early stages of MCI. The goal of the current review is to provide preliminary evidence on the use of interval scores in persons with MCI due to AD relative to healthy controls (HCs). Following PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review synthesizes existing literature across PubMed, PsychINFO, and Web of Science electronic databases that utilize SVF interval data in individuals who are on average 60+ with a clinical diagnosis of MCI in the context of AD. Database searches identified 494 articles. After the screening process, eighteen eligible articles (n = 1,081 participants) comparing persons with MCI to HCs were retained. The most common interval methods used were two 30-second intervals, four 15-second intervals, and six 10-second intervals, and the "animals" prompt was most frequently used. Results revealed worsening word generation across intervals and initial performance was consistently worse in persons with MCI due to AD. Only one study did not show added utility of interval scores over traditional total scores. These initial findings encourage further investigation into the potential benefits of using interval scores and/or performance slopes from SVF testing for clinical and research applications.

The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of cognitive function, as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), on quality of life using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) in adult persons with epilepsy (PWE). Seventy-four PWE aged between 18 and 50 participated. Our data suggest that the total QOLIE-31 score was not significantly lower in the cognitively impaired group of PWE. Correlation analysis showed a weak yet significant association between the MoCA subscale delayed recall and the QOLIE-31 subscale seizure worry. Additionally, the MoCA subscales attention, orientation, and the total MoCA score were significantly correlated with the QOLIE-31 subscale medication effects. Moreover, MoCA subscale orientation was significantly linked to both medication effect and the overall QOLIE-31 score. Attention and the total MoCA score were weakly associated with social functioning on the QOLIE-31. In hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for confounders such as gender and education, we observed MoCA subdomain visuospatial & executive function (β = 0.459,  = <0.001) and attention (β = 0.543,  < 0.001) explained 13% variance in Total QOLIE-31. Furthermore, a significant association was found between the attention of MoCA and with overall quality of life (β = 0.349,  = 0.046) as well as education and emotional well-being (β = 0.487,  = 0.003) of QOLIE-31. We conclude that visuospatial and executive function, attention, and education are predictors of quality of life in adult PWE. Our findings reinforce the importance of screening for and addressing cognitive deficits to enhance the quality of life in epilepsy patients.

The Comic-Strip Task (CST) is a measure of Theory of Mind (ToM), a key component of social cognition. Performance on cognitive tests, including those assessing social cognition, can be influenced by demographic factors such as age, education, sex and cultural background. This study aimed to establish normative data for the CST in French-Quebec people aged 50 and over. A sample of 281 healthy individuals aged 50 to 90 years, from Quebec (Canada) completed the CST. Statistical analyses examined the associations between CST performance and age, education, and sex. Results showed significant association between CST performance and both age and education level, but no significant association with sex. Normative data, stratified by age (50-69 vs ≥70 years) and education (≤12 vs >12 years), are presented as percentile ranks. These norms will support clinicians in the detection of social cognition deficits in middle-aged and older French-Quebec adults.

Cognitive Reserve (CR) is the brain's ability to preserve cognitive functioning despite aging or brain injury, based on life experience, such as education, occupation, and social activities. Commonly, CR is assessed using measures like the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq), which is reliable across researchers and clinicians. To broaden its usage in the Indian context, the present study undertook the cultural adaptation of CRIq for the Malayalam-speaking population. The study was conducted in three phases: adaptation, translation, and validation of CRIq. Items identified as culturally not suitable during adaptation were removed. Systematic forward-backward translation was employed, and the linguistic accuracy was verified by experts. The final version was administered to 162 healthy Malayalam-speaking individuals across the young, middle, and older age groups. The data were subjected to suitable statistical tests. CRI-Total scores derived from CRIq differed substantially between age groups, with middle-aged adults scoring slightly better compared to young and older adults. In addition, a correlation between sub-sections of CRIq with total-CRI was noted. The Malayalam translation of the CRIq showed good test-retest reliability for assessing CR. The study signifies the importance of culturally adapted tools for the assessment of CR.

Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) poses significant risks to cognitive, emotional, and neurological functioning. This review aimed to (a) identify effective neurophysiological assessment tools (b) evaluate standardized self report psychological inventories, and (c) highlight their strengths and limitations in diagnosing and managing CUD.

This is the first of five articles on state-of-the-art conceptualization and research on the use of performance validity tests (PVTs) in forensic neuropsychological assessment. PVTs are standardized psychometric tests especially aimed at determining the extent of examinee underperformance, to the point that their cognitive test performance can be deemed invalid, and not representative of their genuine abilities. The article reviews key terms in the field, which include: PVTs; symptom validity tests (SVTs); cut scores; neuropsychological assessment; malingering/feigning and related terms; (especially invalid response set and negative response bias (NRB); the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM-5) approach to defining malingering; test standardization; classification accuracy statistics (specificity and sensitivity); the multidimensional Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction (MND) framework, and the Erdodi Index (EI) multivariate framework. We conclude that PVT data might indicate invalid response set but malingering is attributed only after careful analysis of the full examinee profile, and not just on the basis of examinee PVT scores. This present five-article series stands in contrast to criticisms of the use of PVTs in FDRA by the Leonhards, as reviewed in the fifth article in the series.

Sleep disturbances commonly co-occur with ADHD, yet their specific impact on ADHD symptoms and neurocognitive performance remains unclear. This study examines sleep problems in ADHD symptom reporting and neurocognitive functioning, independent of mood and anxiety.

Neurocognitive training was associated with positive effects on global neurocognition in patients with Major Neurocognitive Disorders (ND). However, despite evidence linking sensory deficits to neurocognitive dysfunction in the older population, no prior intervention has targeted neurocognition, including the sensation domain. To explore the efficacy of neurocognitive training with a multisensory integration (MI) component, a sample of 110 older adults was recruited from both daycare centers and nursing homes. Of these, 46 were diagnosed with mild to moderate Major ND and completed a neuropsychological assessment protocol at pre-, post-intervention, and at a 4-month follow-up. Participants were randomly assigned to four groups: NeuroRi, a hands-on neurocognitive training programme; NeuroRi with a MI component; NeuronUP a technology-based programme; and passive control group. All but the passive group completed two sessions per week with neurocognitive tasks for four months. Although this is a pilot study, the preliminary results suggest that combining NeuroRi with MI may offer potential benefits across several neurocognitive domains, including sensory-perceptual functioning in mild to moderate Major ND. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and the complex design of the study. This work provides recommendations for the neurocognitive intervention, from planning to assessing meaningful changes, while recognizing the limitations of the study and the need for further research to confirm these preliminary results.

This study investigated whether cognitive reserve, assessed through the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq), predicts performance in cold executive functions and hot socio-cognitive abilities in older adults. Ninety-four healthy older adults completed a set of cognitive and socio-cognitive tasks. Multiple regression analyses tested the predictive role of CRIq on reaction times, accuracy, and performance variability, while controlling for age and education. Higher CRIq scores significantly predicted faster reaction times across all executive function tasks, indicating more efficient processing. No significant associations emerged with accuracy or variability. Importantly, CRIq strongly predicted performance in both affective and cognitive theory of mind, independently of age and global cognitive functioning. Cognitive reserve plays a protective role in aging, supporting both processing speed and social-cognitive skills. These findings highlight the multifaceted influence of cognitive reserve, suggesting its relevance for maintaining executive and socio-cognitive functioning in older adults.

Verbs deficits add to communication challenges of people with aphasia (PWA). Tests are needed to investigate the semantic features of the verb deficits in PWA. The present study aimed to design a semantic test involving both comprehension and production of the Persian verbs, and determining its content and face validity, inter-rater, Intra-rater and test-retest reliability. Verb Semantic Test- Persian (VeST-P) with its hierarchy of difficulty was constructed; the production part involved 4 subtests of Oral Picture Naming, Naming from Spoken Definition, Naming from Written Definition, and Word Definition; the comprehension part comprised 5 subtests of Spoken Word-to-Picture Matching, Written Word-to-Picture Matching, Spoken Word Definition-to- Written Word Matching, Written Word Definition-to- Written Word Matching, and Synonym Judgment. Seventy-five speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and 10 linguists participated in the development phase of the VeST-P. Twenty healthy adults participated in the pilot study. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used to assess inter-rater, Intra-rater and test-retest reliability. The VeST-P indicated high content validity based on CVR/CVI benchmarks. Examining the face validity led to keep the confirmed items and modify or replace the non-proper items. The Wilcoxon for within-group comparisons of the hierarchy levels in each test revealed significant differences (≤ .001). The findings indicated good to excellent Inter-rater, intra-rater, and test-retest reliability (< 0.001). The hierarchically- set VeST-P proved appropriate, yet requiring future investigation with large sample. Additionally, further reliability research on greater sample size including PWA are desirable to prove VeST-P practicality in clinical settings.

Cognitive difficulties are frequently mentioned by individuals reporting to perceive Low-Frequency Noise (LFN), i.e., noise around and below the average human hearing threshold between the frequencies of 20 Hz and 125/100 Hz. Yet, previous research on the effect of LFN on cognition has shown mixed results and does not provide clear evidence for impaired cognitive performance in relation to LFN. In this cross-sectional study, cognitive functions of individuals reporting LFN perceptions (LFN = 68) and individuals reporting no LFN perceptions (CG = 67) were compared using an extensive test battery measuring several aspects of (complex) attention, memory, and executive functions. In addition, cognitive performances were compared between individuals reporting LFN perceptions during testing ( = 35) and reporting no LFN perceptions during testing ( = 32). The LFN group showed significantly worse performance on the aggregated domain scores of attention and complex attention but not on memory or executive functions. However, these group differences were of small size. Further, no group differences were observed on the cognitive domain scores between individuals reporting LFN perceptions during testing and those reporting no LFN perceptions during testing. Concluding, cognitive difficulties do not seem to be overall strong or profound in individuals with reported LFN perceptions. Future research on factors distinguishing individuals with and without cognitive deficits, such as fatigue or sleep, are recommended.

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and often impairs performance in activities of daily living (ADL). The Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADLI) assesses basic (BADL), instrumental (IADL), and advanced ADL (AADL). This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the ADLI in stroke patients.

Cognitive impairment is a common comorbidity in epilepsy, negatively affecting patients' quality of life. Although various treatments-antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and surgery-may influence cognition, comparative data on their effects on executive functions and memory remain limited. This systematic review aimed to evaluate studies assessing the impact of these treatments on executive functions and memory using the EpiTrack cognitive screening tool.

Dementia is a growing concern in aging populations, particularly among individuals with limited education, where traditional cognitive tests may yield inaccurate results. The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA-cog) was developed to assess cognitive impairment in Indigenous Australians with low literacy.

This study aimed to develop the first exploratory, descriptive data on teleneuropsychological test performance for Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican older adults, addressing a critical gap in culturally, linguistically, and technologically relevant research in this population.

Reading is a multifaceted task that recruits executive function capacities (EFs)-neurocognitive processes that enable the management of complex tasks. EFs manifest in reading processes in specific ways. For example, graphophonological-semantic cognitive flexibility (GSF)-a reading-specific measure of executive function that indicates the ability to switch flexibly between graphophonological and semantic features of print-contributes to reading outcomes across the lifespan. However, individual, diagnostic GSF assessment is time-consuming and unwieldy in research and practice. This study compares the original GSF assessment to a computer-administered version in a sample of 170 adults, yielding a valid and reliable measure that expands opportunities for examination of reading-specific EFs in practice and research.

Adults with ADHD exhibit varied patterns of neurocognitive impairment, psychological comorbidities, and functional challenges. The current characterization of ADHD into three subgroups (inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and inattentive-hyperactive/impulsive) does not explain the heterogeneity of challenges experienced by this population. In this study, 259 adult patients [ = 25.94;  = 7.83; 78% Caucasian; 54% male] referred for an ADHD evaluation were investigated, and latent profile analysis was conducted. Behavioral, psychological, and neuropsychological functioning were considered to identify subgroups before and after the removal of those failing performance validity tests (PVTs). Initial analyses revealed four distinct classes: Neuropsychiatrically Distressed (Class 1), Relative Cognitive Inefficiencies only (Class 2), Relative Cognitive Inefficiencies with Preserved Vigilance (Class 3), and Neuropsychiatrically Resilient (Class 4). The likelihood of a patient receiving an ADHD diagnosis ranged from 80% (Class 2) to 61.6% (Class 3). Sufficient task engagement ranged from 98.0% (Class 4) to 59.3% (Class 1). After removing those who failed multiple PVTs, latent classes remained relatively stable. Identification of distinct subgroups of adult patients referred for an ADHD evaluation highlights the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral heterogeneity observed in adult ADHD. Recognition of this heterogeneity will facilitate case conceptualization and improve treatment recommendations.

Standardized tests play a central role in how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) assess language disorders in adults in clinical settings. However, for bilingual populations-such as Franco-Ontarians-this process is hindered by a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate tools, limited normative data, and few bilingual clinicians. Although many tests exist in English, few are available in French, particularly for speakers in minority-language contexts. The Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R) is commonly used by SLPs in Ontario, and bilingual SLPs often rely on makeshift French translations to assess bilingual individuals, an approach that may affect assessment accuracy. The main objective was to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate adaptation of the WAB-R for the Franco-Ontarian population. Only the language subtests were adapted; the apraxia, constructional, visuospatial, and calculation subtests were not included in this adaptation. The adaptation process followed Vallerand's cross-cultural back-translation methodology. The preliminary adaptation was pretested with 21 neurotypical bilingual Franco-Ontarian adults. Results showed that 73.9% of subtests underwent modifications to ensure linguistic equivalency or cultural relevance. Lexicalization of English words was frequently observed, particularly in naming and reactive speech tasks, highlighting English influence on Franco-Ontarian French. Two writing-related subtests-writing irregular words to dictation and writing non-words to dictation-scored below 90% and required revision (either modification of test items or expansion of accepted target responses). This research demonstrates that direct translations of assessment tools are inadequate for minority language speakers. Adapted tools must reflect local dialects, bilingualism, and cultural specificity.

Morphosyntactic deficits are the defining features of agrammatic aphasia. However, there is a limited understanding of the available techniques to treat these deficits. Hence, the present study aims to review the literature and compile evidence on the intervention programs for morphosyntactic deficits in persons with agrammatic aphasia across languages. We conducted a literature search across five major databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest. The retrieved studies from the database search were then screened. A total of 14 studies met the eligibility criteria, out of which 12 articles were on training the verb tense markers, and the remaining two dealt with training auxiliary and locative prepositions. The majority of these studies are conducted in English, followed by Persian, Italian, and Dutch. The review also outlines the common treatment approaches employed for morphosyntactic-based interventions in aphasia. The study unveiled a generalized dearth of published studies on the intervention of morphosyntactic deficits, with heterogeneity evident in the treatment approaches, the targeted morphosyntactic markers, and a lack of language-specific intervention programs. The present study draws the readers' attention to this research gap and recommends more morphosyntactic-based intervention studies across languages.

Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by wide-spread nonspecific pain. In conjunction with pain, individuals also commonly report experiencing a loss of mental clarity, more colloquially referred to as "fibro-fog". Fibro-fog is subjectively described as one of the most debilitating aspects of the condition, with subjective memory complaints being of high concern. Despite this, research has only recently begun to explore the effects of fibromyalgia in cognition more broadly. However, this research is limited by small samples and a focus on cognition as a broader construct. Thus, to further our understanding of the impact of fibromyalgia on objective memory performance a systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken. The aim was to focus on working memory specifically, with reference to verbal and visual modalities. A comprehensive search of 6 databases was undertaken (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline), which yielded 8358 papers. Following removal of duplicates and screening 29 studies were eligible for inclusion. Papers were eligible for inclusion if they contained an adult fibromyalgia and healthy control group and a standardized measure of working memory. Results of the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields indicated that all included studies were of good-strong quality. Individuals with fibromyalgia showed significantly impaired verbal working memory performance when compared to healthy controls, with a moderate effect size (g = -0.66, CI = -0.94, -0.38). Alternatively, no significant differences were found for visual working memory performance. These findings suggest that modality specific memory impairments are present in individuals with fibromyalgia. Subgroup analyses also indicated that females showed impaired working memory performance in both domains (with small (g = -0.34, CI = -0.59, -0.10) to moderate effect sizes (g = -0.64, CI = -1.02, -0.27)). Further research exploring how these foundational deficits impact higher order cognition is warranted. These findings highlight the importance of considering nonphysical symptoms in the treatment and management of fibromyalgia.

This study explored the factor structure of commonly used neuropsychological tests to assess attention in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Archival data were drawn from 269 patients (63% women; M_age = 47.8, SD = 14.6) seen at a private outpatient clinic between 2018 and 2023. Participants self-identified primarily as White (84%), with additional representation from Asian (10%), Hispanic/Latinx (3%), Black (1%), Middle Eastern/North African (1%), and Multiracial (1%) backgrounds. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblimin rotation was used to examine performance on the NAB Numbers & Letters Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), Trail Making Test A & B, Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Coding. The EFA supported a four-factor solution that accounted for 58% of the total variance. These factors reflected: (1) visual attention and psychomotor speed, (2) auditory attention and working memory, (3) visuospatial scanning and search, and (4) interference management. The findings highlight the multifactorial structure of attention in mTBI and support the clinical relevance of using diverse measures to assess distinct attentional processes.