LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants in this seminar will be able to describe the Halstead-Reitan approach to neuropsychological evaluation. They will be able to summarize the results from the seminal Reitan (1964) study which showed the successful classification of patients into the correct neurological categories using blind interpretation of HRB data only. Similarly, they will be able to summarize the results from the followup computerized decision-tree study of Finkelstein (1976) which again showed successful classification of patients (and controls) into their correct neurological category using HRB data. They will be able to demonstrate the correct organization of test data into a “data plot” to aid in clinical interpretation and differential diagnosis. They will be able to use HRB test data to compute a clinical summary score (the Neuropsychological Deficit Scale).
Participants will be able to summarize the six cognitive domains of the DSM5 Neurocognitive Disorders (NCD) classification as well as the differences between Major and Mild NCD. For each of the neurological conditions covered in this seminar, participants will be able to summarize the current information on incidence, definition, etiology, course, clinical symptoms, as well as an overview of treatment methodologies. For each neurological condition, they will be able to describe the major sub-categories within each condition (e.g., for cerebral tumors: intrinsic vs. extrinsic tumors). Where applicable, they will be able to compare and contrast the major neurological diagnostic systems (e.g., for Alzheimer’s disease, the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria [1984], the NIA-AA guidelines [2011], and the DSM5 criteria).
Using case materials provided, the participants will be able to construct a plot of the neuropsychological data, determine whether the test results are indicative of brain-related impairment or not, and, if so, to decide whether the impairment is acute or chronic, at what level of severity, and attributable to what likely underlying neurological condition. They will be able to explain how HRB test results can be integrated in order to provide a differential diagnosis of the patient’s neurological condition. In particular, they will recognize the pattern of HRB test results that are typically associated with the neurological conditions covered in this seminar: stroke, cerebral tumors, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer’s disease. They will be able to discuss the neurobehavioral consequences of various patterns of test results on the patient’s daily and occupational function.