Neuropsychology最新文献

Objective: Familial longevity, educational attainment, and engagement in cognitively stimulating activities are independently protective for cognitive aging, yet little is known about how these factors relate with one another. We explored the interplay between familial longevity, life exposures that confer cognitive resilience, and cognitive function in the Long Life Family Study.

Method: A series of Bayesian hierarchical regression models was used to examine the associations among familial longevity, educational attainment, participation in cognitively stimulating activities, and neuropsychological test performance in several cognitive domains in an ancillary observational study of Long Life Family Study family members and a referent cohort (N = 314, M = 75.7, SD = 14.6 years). Models were adjusted by age, sex, and upstream variables along the regression pathway (i.e., cognitive activity, education, and familial longevity), and incorporated a random intercept for family relatedness.

Results: Referents had greater engagement in cognitive activities, and in turn, those with higher levels of education and cognitive activity exhibited better neuropsychological performance. Greater cognitive activity was specifically associated with better executive functioning, episodic memory, and language scores. Although Long Life Family Study family members engaged in cognitive activities less often than referents, they performed better on tests of episodic memory, and matched performance on tests of executive function, language, and visuoconstruction.

Conclusions: These results suggest that familial longevity and engagement in cognitively stimulating activities represent two distinct pathways that contribute to preserved cognition in older adulthood, though these findings should be replicated in more diverse samples. Furthermore, these unique pathways differ across tests and cognitive domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This article aimed to examine the psychometric properties of a measure of youth fear-avoidance of concussive symptoms.

Method: Fear-avoidance is thought to be a risk factor for prolonged concussion recovery; however, current measures of fear-avoidance focus on pain rather than broader symptoms. We adapted the Fear of Pain Questionnaire to be relevant to concussion symptoms with a new version called the Fear of Concussive Symptoms Questionnaire (FOCSQ). We assessed the psychometrics of this scale with a sample of N = 115 youth with persistent postconcussive symptoms (M_age = 15.1 years, 58% female, 70% non-Hispanic White, 15% Hispanic, M = 79.2 days since injury), including reliability, construct validity, and cross-informant reliability.

Results: Exploratory factor analysis suggested a two-factor model was a good fit for youth report (fear and avoidance) and a three-factor model for parent proxy (fear, school/social avoidance, and movement avoidance). Reliability was excellent, with Cronbach's α for both youth report and parent proxy of 0.93 (95% CI [0.91, 0.95]). Construct validity indicated moderate correlation between youth-report FOCSQ and concussive symptoms 0.55 (95% CI [0.41, 0.66]), headache severity 0.37 (95% CI [0.19, 0.53]), depression 0.62 (95% CI [0.49, 0.72]), and anxiety 0.64 (95% CI [0.51, 0.73]). Criterion-related validity was supported by an inverse correlation between FOCSQ and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory: -0.64 (95% CI [-0.74, -0.52]). Youth report and parent proxy were moderately correlated, with Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.60 (95% CI [0.47, 0.71]).

Conclusions: The FOCSQ is a reliable and valid measure of fear-avoidance in youth with concussion, and future research might explore whether this measure could be used to identify youth at risk for prolonged recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Declines in everyday cognitive functioning are a common occurrence in late life. The present study sought to understand how informant-rated everyday cognitive abilities related to memory, language, spatial skills, planning, organization, and divided attention-as measured by the Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale-change over time in a diverse sample of older adults.

Method: Participants (N = 891) from the University of California Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research Center longitudinal cohort (M_age = 76.1, SD_age = 7.4) were followed for an average of 4.4 years with annual ECog assessments. Multilevel beta regression was used to model ECog scores as a function of time, cognitive domain, diagnosis change, and-in a neuroimaging subsample (N = 264)-cross-sectional and longitudinal total gray matter and hippocampus volume.

Results: ECog domains changed at different rates when modeled as a function of diagnosis change; differences in domain were most apparent in the stable mild cognitive impairment (MCI)-to-MCI and MCI-to-dementia conversion groups. By contrast, ECog domains changed at the same rate when modeled as a function of baseline gray matter volume and longitudinal gray matter volume change, corresponding to other research suggesting that cognitive domains change at relatively uniform rates over time. In separate models, total gray matter and hippocampus atrophy were salient predictors of ECog score changes. At baseline, hippocampus volume was the strongest predictor of ECog intercepts.

Conclusions: Although some caution is warranted interpreting score changes due to floor and ceiling effects, the ECog appears sensitive to underlying gray matter atrophy and change in clinical disease severity when used longitudinally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Literature concerning the structural brain correlates of verbal memory in aging with multiple sclerosis (MS) is scarce. This study addressed this gap by examining the impact of white matter microstructure and macrostructure on verbal memory in older adults with and without MS.

Method: Participants were 64 older adults with MS (OAMS; age M [SD] = 64.19 [3.82]) and 72 controls (age M [SD] = 69.78 [6.99]). Verbal memory was measured using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), and white matter fractional anisotropy and lesion volume were extracted from diffusion tensor and fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery magnetic resonance imaging. Statistical models examined whether white matter measures moderated the association between the presence of MS and HVLT-R performance.

Results: Adjusted moderation models revealed that OAMS showed lower HVLT-R total immediate recall compared to controls in the presence of higher lesion volume in the bilateral fornices, left uncinate fasciculus, and right ventral cingulum, and lower HVLT-R delayed recall in the presence of lower fractional anisotropy in the right ventral cingulum and higher lesion volume in the left uncinate fasciculus and right ventral cingulum, with small effect sizes (interaction term ΔR²s = .03-.06, ps < .05).

Conclusions: Recall was lower in OAMS when limbic tract white matter had lower integrity and higher lesion load. Findings suggest that the influence of MS on verbal memory in older adults is related, in part, to underlying white matter disruptions in tracts implicated in memory. While the sample was generally representative of the U.S. MS population (majority White women), generalizability is limited and warrants further research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Neuropsychologists routinely use scores on traditional paper-and-pencil tests to assess capacity for independent functioning, with these assessments accounting for a moderate amount (20%-37%) of the variance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance. The field is shifting toward incorporation of computerized neuropsychological assessments such as the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). There have been no studies examining how the NIHTB-CB relates to IADL performance or whether it better predicts IADL performance compared to traditional methods.

Method: Data from 74 participants in the Lithium as a Treatment to Prevent Impairment of Cognition in Elders were analyzed. Participants completed a neuropsychological assessment battery, the NIHTB-CB, and measures of IADL capacity. Linear regression was used to determine whether NIHTB-CB performance predicted IADL performance. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to determine whether NIHTB-CB added incremental validity to the prediction of IADL performance.

Results: Select NIHTB-CB measures predicted IADL functioning as measured by a performance-based assessment of everyday functioning, but not self- or informant-reported everyday functioning. Of these subtests, two were found to add incremental validity to the prediction of IADL performance above and beyond their matched traditional measures, with effect sizes ranging from mild to moderate (FΔR² = .045-.077).

Conclusions: We found performance on individual NIHTB-CB subtests predicted approximately the same amount of variance in IADL functioning as traditional tests, with only subtests assessing processing speed and executive functioning adding a mild to moderate amount of additional variance above matched measures. It remains important for clinicians to consider additional determinants of functioning when using computerized assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Cognitive dysfunction is a transdiagnostic feature of psychiatric disorders and a major contributor to functional and psychosocial disability. Despite its clinical importance, the structure and dynamics of cognitive dysfunction across psychiatric conditions remain unclear. Network analysis offers a promising framework to conceptualize cognition not as isolated domains, but as interdependent systems of functions that dynamically interact with clinical symptoms and behavioral outcomes. This scoping review systematically mapped and synthesized 59 empirical studies applying network analysis to cognition across psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and others.

Method: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, we extracted and synthesized data on sample characteristics, cognitive assessments, network models, and key findings.

Results: Most studies employed undirected, cross-sectional Gaussian graphical models, while directed or longitudinal models remained rare. Fewer than half of the studies conducted inferential statistics, with the remainder relying on descriptive observations. Overlap between studies was weak for cognitive domains studied and very weak for cognitive instruments used. Most studies originated from Europe, followed by Asia and North America; no studies were conducted in Latin America or Africa. Across disorders, cognition typically emerged as a distinct yet highly interconnected domain within broader psychopathological networks. Processing speed and working memory were consistently featured as central nodes, particularly in schizophrenia, lending support to their role as foundational elements of cognition. However, substantial methodological heterogeneity and limited causal modeling challenges remain.

Conclusions: Future research should emphasize theory-driven frameworks, longitudinal designs, standardized cognitive assessments, and replicability to better understand the role of cognition in psychiatric disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Neuropsychological testing is the standard of care in the United States for assessing functional deficits related to cognitive impairment. However, there are well-known limitations of neuropsychological testing, including issues of reliability and validity, appropriate norming, predictive and ecological validity, and cultural appropriateness. The goal of this case example is to differentiate assessment from testing and to describe how assessment of brain-behavior relationships can be conducted when testing data are not available.

Method: This case example describes a neuropsychological differential diagnosis where the individual being examined was unable to participate in any standardized testing and had no available brain imaging. By necessity, the entirety of the differential diagnosis rests on the history and behavioral observations. This case is presented as a fact-finding exercise, as it would be in a board examination to assess neuropsychological competencies.

Results: The diagnostic value of history and behavioral observations are discussed in the context of disease base rates to rule in/rule out differential diagnoses involving the peripheral and central nervous systems. Clearly, standardized neuropsychological testing would add important data to revise and refine diagnoses and to develop treatment interventions.

Conclusions: Neuropsychological competency examinations usually observe clinicians in a controlled environment with comprehensive information, similar to demonstrating swimming skills in a swimming pool. However, neuropsychologists should also be able to swim in the ocean, where the setting is not well controlled, comprehensive information may not be available, and the waters are often murky, such as when assessing patients where standardized testing is not possible. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The journal continues to be a leading journal in the field but cannot rest on its laurels; concrete actions will be needed to increase the quantity and quality of submissions. To accomplish this, Neuropsychology needs to build on specific areas of strength. Accordingly, a revised statement of aims and scope of Neuropsychology, based on a detailed bibliographic review of Neuropsychology and comparison with similar journals, will be unveiled by Dr. Woods in his first issue as Editor in January of 2026. The revised aims and scope will help differentiate Neuropsychology from other similar journals. The current editor is pleased that the examination of brain-behavior relationship in the context of cultural factors and social determinants of health will continue to be recognized as of particular interest, building on the increases in these domains over the past 5 years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) assessment is commonly based on paper-and-pencil tests, including the line bisection task. However, this task lacks sensitivity and does not reflect the symptomatic heterogeneity of USN patients, such as difficulties in extrapersonal space or encountered in daily life. Immersive virtual reality (VR) could be a promising way to improve the line bisection task by developing versions that better reflect the difficulties experienced by patients. This study investigated the feasibility and the psychometric qualities of different immersive VR bisection tasks.

Method: 22 right-brain damaged patients with confirmed left USN (USN++) on conventional USN assessment tools, signs of left USN (USN+), or without USN (USN-), and 39 healthy participants were recruited and performed three different immersive VR bisection tasks-a proximal and a distal line bisection task and an ecological baguette bisection task.

Results: Correlational analyses with conventional USN assessment tools supported the validity of the immersive VR bisection tasks. Group and individual analyses emphasized the better sensitivity of the immersive VR proximal and ecological tasks compared with the paper-and-pencil line bisection task. The immersive VR proximal bisection task showed high sensitivity to detecting USN++ patients (detection rate: 75.0%) but not USN+ patients, while the immersive VR ecological bisection task showed good sensitivity for detecting both (detection rate: 62.5%), supporting its relevance for diagnosing mild USN.

Conclusions: The immersive VR bisection tasks appear relevant for USN diagnosis, especially the ecological one, which supports the need for more ecological assessment tools to assess USN and plan rehabilitation better. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: People with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) self-report declining cognitive function, although objective cognitive performance remains normal. SCD is a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Previous research has found differences in cognitive performance in bilinguals compared with monolinguals. We examined cognitive performance in older adults with and without SCD, and the association between bilingualism and cognitive performance in cognitively healthy older adults, people with SCD, and people with MCI, and the influence of bilingualism on the age of MCI diagnosis.

Method: Adults aged 65+ (n = 264) rated their ability in French and English and self-perceived change in concentration and attention, memory, and word-finding. They then completed neuropsychological tests assessing language, memory, and executive function. Participants were monolingual or bilingual and were older adults, reported amnestic or nonamnestic SCD, or had MCI.

Results: No differences in cognitive performance were observed between older adults and people with SCD, while people with MCI had lower performance on nearly all tasks. Monolinguals outperformed bilinguals in the Boston Naming Test, letter-number sequencing, California Verbal Learning Test, FAS, animal, vegetable/musical instrument, and A/F switch fluency tasks, but group performance did not differ on executive function tasks. Sensitivity analyses using English L1 bilinguals who completed the first administration of the language tasks in the English or bilingual version showed that monolinguals outperformed bilinguals on only the Boston Naming Test. Monolinguals had a later age of MCI diagnosis than bilinguals in our sample.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the protective effect of bilingualism reported elsewhere in the literature is not universal. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).