Neuropsychological

UNIT 3 NEUROPSYCHOLOGY TEST Assessment and Screening

BATTERIES

Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Neuropsychological Assessment
3.2.1 The Nervous System and Behaviour
3.2.2 Neuropsychological Examination
3.3 Neuropsychological Understanding of Behavioural Deficits
3.4 Goals of Neuropsychological Assessment
3.5 Nature of Neuropsychological Tests
3.6 Identifications of a Deficit by Neuropsychological Tests
3.7 The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery
3.7.1 History
3.7.2 Structure and Content
3.7.3 Theoretical Foundations
3.7.4 Standardisation Research
3.8 The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery
3.8.1 History
3.8.2 Structure and Content
3.8.3 Theoretical Foundations of Component Tests
3.8.4 Standardisation Research
3.8.5 The NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery
3.9 Let Us Sum Up
3.10 Unit End Questions
3.11 Suggested Readings

3.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we are dealing with neuropsychological batteries and tests. We start
with the definition of neuropsychological assessment and present the various
aspects related to the same. Then we discuss how Neuropsychological Assessment
would also lead to obtaining information regarding the neurological deficits
resulting in behavioural deficiencies. Then we take up Goals of
Neuropsychological Assessment and discuss the various factors and clues that
may be obtained in regard to the neurological problems within the individual.
This is followed by a discussion on the nature of neuropsychological tests and
how to identify a deficit with the help of neuropsychological test battery. Two
major batteries, the Luria Nebraska and the Halstead Reitan Neuropsychological
batteries are presented with their history, structure and content within the tests,
the theoretical foundations underlying these tests and the validity and reliability
of these tests. Then we deal with the NIMHANS Neuropsychological battery
and give a description of the various tests within the same.

49
Brain Behaviour
Inter-relationship 3.1 OBJECTIVES
After completing this unit, you will be able to:
• Define and describe Neuropsychological;
• Explain how neuropsychological tests can be used for understanding of
behavioural deficits;
• Elucidate the goals of neuropsychological assessment;
• Describe the nature of neuropsychological tests;
• Explain how to identify a deficit through neuropsychological tests;
• Describe the various aspects of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological
Battery;
• Delineate how the test was evolved and devised;
• Describe the Halstead-Reitan battery and its contents, tests and subtests;
and
• Explain the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery.

3.2 NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Neuropsychological assessment has its roots in neurology, the branch of medicine
that focuses on the nervous system and its disorders. It focuses on the relationship
between brain functioning and behaviour. It used to be a specialty area within
clinical psychology. In neuropyshcological assessment the psychologists screen
for signs and symptoms of a neurological deficit during:
• History Taking
• Interviewing
• Test-taking
• Intelligence Tests
• Other Tests.

3.2.1 The Nervous System and Behaviour

Damage to certain parts of the brain will be reflected as behaviour deficits. For
example, damage to the temporal lobe may affect: sound discrimination, sound
recognition, voice recognition, visual memory storage.Tests and procedures
employed in a neuropsychological examination vary as a function of: Purpose of
examination, Neurological intactness of the examinee, Thoroughness of the
examination.

3.2.2 Neuropsychological Examination

For a neuropsychological examination a battery of tests administered should
include, at a minimum:
• Intelligence Tests
• Personality Tests
• Perceptual-Motor / Memory Tests
50
If impairment is discovered, the examinee will be referred for further and more Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
detailed tests.

The typical neuropsychological exam begins with a careful history taking. Areas
of interest include:
• Medical history of patient.
• Medical history of patient’s family.
• Presence of absence of developmental milestones.
• Psychosocial history.
• Character, severity, and progress of any history of complaints.
The MSE deals with questions concerning the addressee’s Consciousness,
Emotional State, Thought Content and Clarity, Memory, Sensory Perception,
Performance of Action, Language, Speech, Handwriting, Handedness.Tests and
assessment procedures assess various aspects of functioning including aspects
of:
• Perceptual functioning
• Motor functioning
• Verbal functioning
• Memory Functioning
• Cognitive Functioning
These tests are also used in screening for deficits and in adjunct to medical
examinations.
The tests can be helpful in the assessment of:
• Change in mental status
• Abnormalities in function before abnormalities in structure can be detected.
• Strengths and weaknesses of patient.
• Ability of individual to stand trial.
• Changes in disease process over time.
The Wechsler Scales are often used as a diagnostic tool for intellectual ability
testing.
Formal testing for memory may involve the use of instruments such as the
Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised:
• The task is to recall stories and other verbal stimuli.
• The test is appropriate for people within the ages of 16-74.
Verbal memory, non verbal memory etc. are tested through the presentation of
stimuli such as verbal learning test, selective reminding test Benton test of visual
retention etc. As for tests of cognitive functioning, difficulty in thinking abstractly
is a relatively common consequence of brain injury. One popular measure of
verbal abstraction ability is the Wechsler Similarities Subtest in which the task is
to identify how two objects are alike. Proverb interpretation is another way to
assess ability to think abstractly. Nonverbal tests of abstraction include sorting
tests such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. 51
Brain Behaviour A neuropsychological assessment is a clinical examination of both the working
Inter-relationship
brain and dysfunctional brain. Neuropsychological tests are an aid in this
examination. The objective of neuropsychological assessment is to chart the
deficits and adequacies in the behaviour of patients. The behavioural deficits are
explained by underlying cognitive, emotional, and volitional deficits as well as
changes in the patient’s behaviour. The outcome of a neuropsychological
assessment is a profile of the patient’s deficits and adequacies.

Fig.3.1: Structural and functional brain

3.3 NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING

OF BEHAVIOURAL DEFICITS
Behaviour is an outcome of the interaction of the brain with the environment. A
composite of multiple psychological processes shape behaviour. The chief
domains of the psychological processes are cognition, emotion and volition. Each
of these three cardinal domains has specialised processes and each of the
specialised process has components, which constitute the sub process. Nuances
in behaviour arise because of the nuances of the domains/ process/ components.
The objective of neuropsychological assessment is to identify the disturbed
psychological domain/process/ component, which could be giving rise to the
behavioural disruption.

3.4 GOALS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL

ASSESSMENT
The psychological domains/processes/ components are mediated by specific brain
structures and connected brain structures forming functional networks.
Identification of disruptions in specified psychological components/processes/
domains indicate damage to the brain structures/networks, which mediate these
processes.

52
Neuropsychological assessment therefore has twin goals. Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
i) The first goal is to identify the disrupted psychological components/
processes/domains in an individual patient and arrive at a profile of
adequacies and deficits of psychological functions.
ii) The second goal is to identify the brain structures/ functional networks, which
are dysfunctional or damaged using the neuropsychological profile that has
previously been derived. Finally, this information is used to lateralise and
localise the bran lesion.

3.5 NATURE OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS

Neuropsychological tests are aids in the neuropsychological examination. The
tests measure specified psychological processes including the constituent
components of the process. The level of difficulty is not high, as the goal of the
testing is to identify a deficit in functioning and not to test the limits of the top
end of performance. These are that the test should have adequate reliability and
validity, the scoring should be objective, and the test should have adequate
normative data.

3.6 IDENTIFICATIONS OF A DEFICIT BY

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
Ideometric approach and psychometric approach are the two methods that are
used in the identification of deficits through neuropsychological tests. Ideometric
approach is suitable for clinical examinations of individual patients. Psychometric
approach is suitable for the assessment of abilities/ aptitudes using quantitative
scores. While the first is used in a clinical examination that takes into account
the background of the patient, the second is used in an examination of abilities
and aptitudes of the patient irrespective of his or her background.

Ideometric approach in the context of neuropsychological assessment emphasises

the patient’s premorbid functioning with reference to education, occupation, social
and occupational functioning as well as performance on other neuropsychological
tests. Factors such as the patient’s currents sensory/motor deficiencies,
motivational deficits and fatigue level are noted. These are taken into account in
interpreting the neuropsychological examination. Because the complete
background of the patient and his/her current level of functioning are obtained,
the diametric is well suited for clinical examination.

On the other hand, the psychometric approach takes a ‘here and now’ view. It
interprets objective scores with reference to normative data, without taking into
account previous history or current functioning in other areas.

Comprehensive neuropsychology testing requires a combination of Context

related ideometric and quantitative psychometric approaches. While the patient
is undergoing the test the neuropsychologists must observe the factors which
may contribute to the failure of the patient in performance of a given task.
Examples of such factors include unfamiliarity with timed tests, inability to pay
attention for the required length of time, inability to modulate the mental effort
required by a task, poor motivation, poor insight, premorbid characteristics such
53
Brain Behaviour as impulsivity, unwillingness to try out new things, etc. Another set of factors
Inter-relationship
that affects patients level of functioning is deficits in specific areas, which can
hamper the patients’ performance in a specific test.

Example of these include deficits of visuo-spatial perception hampering

performance on construction tasks, poor comprehension hampering performance
on verbal memory tests, and visual difficulties impairing performance on visual
memory tests. A comprehensive account of the patients’ premorbid functioning
and current performance is essential to understand the performance on a
neuropsychological test.

At the same time, it is essential to have objective scores, in order to identify and
classify deficits in psychological components and processes. The need for
objective scores becomes greater when the deficits are mild or when minimal
levels of temporal improvement or deterioration are being tracked. Objective
scores can be obtained if the tests are constructed according to the psychometric
approach.

Normative data, which take into account the effects of socio-demographic

variables such as age, education and gender, are also used in such an approach.

Thus, while neuropsychological tests have to be constructed using the

psychometric approach the interpretation of test performance would require a
blend of both ideometric and psychometric approaches. The scores would then
be compared with normative data. Finally, interpretation of the results would
again require a blend of ideometric and psychometric approaches.

Self Assessment Questions

1) What is neuropsychological assessment?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2) Discuss the relationship between the nervous system and behaviour.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

54
 Neuropsychology Test
3) In what way neuropsychology helps in understanding the behvarioural Batteries
deficits?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4) What are the goals of neuropsychological assessment?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5) Discuss the nature of neuropsychological tests.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
6) How would neuropsychological test identify a deficit?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

3.7 THE LURIA-NEBRASKA

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY
3.7.1 History
This procedure was first reported in 1978 in the form of two initial validity
studies. Historically, Chirstensen, a student of the prominent Russian neurologist
and neuropsychologist, A. R. Luria, published a book called Luria’s
neuropsychological investigation. The book was accompanied by a manual and
a kit containing test materials used by Luria and his co-workers. Although some
of Luria’s procedures had previously appeared in English, they had never been
presented in a manner that encouraged direct administration of the test items to
55
Brain Behaviour the patients. The material published initially did not contain information relevant
Inter-relationship
to standardisation of these items. There was no scoring system, norms, data
regarding validity and reliability, or review of research accomplished with the
procedure as a standard battery.

This work was taken on by a group of investigators under the leadership of

Charles J. Golden. Thus, in historical sequence, Luria adopted or developed
these items over the course of many years, Christensen published them in English
but without standardisation data, and finally Golden and collaborators provided
quantification and standardisation. Since that time, Golden’s group as well as
other investigators have produced a massive amount of studies with what is now
known as the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

The battery was published in 1980 by Western Psychological Services and is

now extensively used in clinical and research applications. An alternate form of
the battery is now available, as is a children’s version.

3.7.2 Structure and Content

The battery contains 269 items, each of which may be scored on a 2- or 3- point
scale. A score of 0 indicates normal performance. Some items may receive a
score of 1, indicating borderline performance. A score of 2 indicates clearly
abnormal performance. The items are organised into the categories provided in
the Christensen kit, but while Christensen organised the items primarily to suggest
how they were used by Luria, the Luria-Nebraska version is presented as a set of
quantitative scales.

The raw score for each scale is the sum of the 0, 1 and 2 item scores. Thus, the
higher the score, the poorer the performance. The scores for the individual items
may be based on speed, accuracy, or quality of response. In some cases, two
scores may be assigned to the same task, one for speed and the other for accuracy.
These two scores are counted as individual items. For example, one of the items
is a block counting task, with separate scores assigned for number of errors and
time to completion of the task. In case of time scores, blocks of seconds are
associated with the 0, 1 and 2 scores. When quality of response is scored, the
manual provides both rules for scoring and, in the case of copying tasks,
illustrations of figures representing 0, 1 and 2 scores.

The 269 items are divided into 11 content scales, each of which may be
administered individually. Since these scales contain varying number of items,
raw scale scores are converted to T score with a mean of 50 and a standard
deviation of 10. These T scores are displayed as a profile on a form prepared for
that purpose. In the alternate form of the battery, the names of the content scales
have been replaced by abbreviations. Thus, we have Motor, Rhythm, Tactile,
Visual, Receptive Speech, Expressive Speech, Writing, Reading, Arithmetic,
Memory, and Intellectual Processes scales, which are referred to as the C1 through
C11 scales in the alternate form.

In addition to these 11 content scales, there are three derived scales that appear
on the standard profile form: the Pathognomonic, Left Hemisphere scales. The
Pathognomonic scale contains from throughout the battery found to be particularly
sensitive to the presence or absence of brain damage. The left and right hemisphere
scales are derived from the Motor and Tactile scale items that involve comparisons
56
between the left and right sides of the body. They therefore reflect sensorimotor Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
asymmetries in the two sides of the body.

Several other scales have been developed by Golden and various collaborators,
all of which are based on different ways of scoring the same 269 items. These
special scales include new (empirically derived) right and left hemisphere scales,
a series of localisation scales a series of factor scales and double discrimination
scales. The new right and left hemisphere scales contain items from throughout
the battery and are based on actual comparisons among patients with right
hemisphere, left hemisphere, and diffuse brain damage.

The localisation scales are also empirically derived, being based on studies of
patients with localised brain lesions. There are frontal, sensorimotor, temporal,
and parieto-occipital scales for each hemisphere. The factor scales are based on
extensive factor analytical studies of the major content scales. The new right and
left hemisphere scales contain items from throughout the battery and are based
on actual comparisons among patients with right hemisphere, left hemisphere
and diffuse brain damage. The new right and left hemisphere, localisation factor
scales may all be expressed in T scores with a mean of 50. There are also two
scales that provide global indices of dysfunctions, and are meant as equivalents
to the Halstead impairment index. They are called the Profile Elevation and
Impairment Scales.

The Luria Nebraska procedure involves an age and education correction. It is

accomplished through computation of a cutoff score for abnormal performance
based on an equation that takes into consideration both age and education. The
computed score is called the critical level and is equal to .214(Age) + 1.47
(Education) + 68.8 (Constant). Typically, a horisontal is drawn across the profile
at the computed critical level point. The test user has the option of considering
scores above the critical level, which may be higher or lower than 60, as abnormal.

As indicated above, extensive factor analytic studies have been accomplished,

and the factor structure of each of the major scales has been identified. These
analyses were based on item intercorrelations, rather than on correlations among
the scales. It is important to note that most items on any particular scale correlate
better with other items on that scale than they do with items on other scales
(Golden, 1981). This finding lends credence to the view that the scales are at
least somewhat homogeneous, and thus that the organisation of the 269 items
into those scales can be justified.

3.7.3 Theoretical Foundations

As in the case of the Halstead- Reitan battery, one could present two theoretical
bases for the Luria- Nebraska, one revolving around the use of Luria’s name and
the other around the Nebraska group, namely, Golden and his collaborators. This
view is elaborated upon in by Goldestein. Luria himself had nothing to do with
the development of the Luria Nebraska battery, nor did any of the co workers.
The use of his name in the title of battery is, in fact, somewhat controversial and
seems to have been essentially honorific in intent, recognising his involvement
in development of items and the underlying theory for their application. Indeed,
Luria died some time before publication of battery but was involved in the
preparation of the Christensen materials, which he endorsed. Furthermore, the
method of testing employed by the Luria- Nebraska was not Luria’s method, and
57
Brain Behaviour the research done to establish the validity, reliability, and clinical relevance of
Inter-relationship
the Luria- Nebraska was not done by Luria and his collaborators.

Therefore, our discussion of the theory underlying the Luria Nebraska battery
will be based on the assumption that the only connecting link between Luria and
that procedure is the set of Christensen items. In doing so, it becomes clear that
the basic theory underlying the development of Luria- Nebraska is based on a
philosophy of science that stresses empirical validity, quantification and
application of established psychometric procedures. Indeed, as pointed out
elsewhere, it is essentially the same epistemology that characterises the work of
the Reitan group.
Thus, research done with the Luria Nebraska battery determined
1) whether it discriminates between brain damaged patients in general and
normal controls;
2) whether it discriminates between patients with structural brain damage and
those with schizophrenia;
3) whether the procedure has the capacity to lateralise and regionally localise
brain damage; and
4) whether there are performance patterns specific to particular neurological
disorders, such as alcoholic dementia or multiple sclerosis.
Since this research was accomplished in recent years, it was able to benefit from
the new brain imaging technology, notably the CT scan, and the application of
high speed computer technologies, allowing for extensive use of powerful
multivariate statistical methods. With regard to methods of clinical inference,
the same method suggested by Reitan that is level of performance, pattern of
performance, pathognomonic signs, and right left comparisons etc., are used
with the Luria Nebraska battery.

Adhering to our assumption that the Luria Nebraska bears little resemblance to
Luria’s methods and theories, there seems little point in examining the theoretical
basis for the substance of the Luria Nebraska battery. For example, there is little
point in examining the theory of language that underlies the Receptive Speech
and Expressive Speech scales or the theory of memory that provides the basis
for the Memory scale. We believe that the Luria Nebraska battery is not a means
of using Luria’s theory and methods in English speaking countries, but rather a
standardised psychometric instrument with established validity for certain
purposes and reliability.

The choice of using items selected by Christensen to illustrate Luria’s testing

methods was, in retrospect, probably less crucial than the research methods chosen
to investigate the capabilities of this item set. Indeed, it is somewhat misleading
to characterise these items as “Luria’s tests,” since many of them are standard
items used by neurologists throughout the world. Surely, one cannot describe
asking a patient to interpret proverbs or determine 2 point thresholds as being
exclusively “Luria’s tests”. They are, in fact, venerable, widely used procedures.

3.7.4 Standardisation Research

There are published manuals for the Luria Nebraska that describe the battery in
detail and provide information pertinent to validity, reliability, and norms. There
58
are also several reviews articles that comprehensively describe the research done Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
with the battery. Very briefly reviewing this material, satisfactory discriminative
validity has been reported in studies directed toward differentiating miscellaneous
brain damaged patients from normal controls and from chronic schizophrenics.
Cross validations were generally successful, but Shelly and Goldstein (1983)
could not fully replicate the studies involved with discriminating between brain-
damaged and schizophrenic patients.

Discriminative validity studies involving lateralisation and localisation achieved

satisfactory results, but the localisation studies were based on small samples.
Quantitative indices from the Luria-Nebraska were found to correlate significantly
with CT scan quantitative indices in alcoholic and schizophrenic samples. There
have been several studies of specific neurological disorders including multiple
sclerosis, alcoholism, Huntington’s disease, and learning disability, all with
satisfactory results in terms of discrimination.

The test manual reports reliability data. Test-retest reliabilities for the 13 major
scales range from .78 to .96. The problem of interjudge reliability is generally
not a major one for neuropsychological assessment, since most of the test used is
quite objective and have quantitative scoring systems. However, there could be
a problem with the Luria-Nebraska, since the assignment of 0, 1, and 2 scores
sometimes requires a judgement by the examiner.

During the preliminary screening stage in the development of the battery, items
in the original pool that did not attain satisfactory interjudge reliability were
dropped. A 95% inter-rater agreement level was reported by the test constructors
for the 282 items used in an early version of the battery developed after dropping
those items. The manual contains means and standard deviations for each item
based on samples of control, neurologically impaired, and schizophrenic subjects.
An alternate form of the battery is available. To the best of our knowledge, there
have been no predictive validity studies. It is unclear whether or not there have
been studies that address the issue of construct validity.

Self Assessment Questions

1) Discuss in detail the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological battery.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2) Trace the history of how the Luria Nebraska battery was devised.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
59
Brain Behaviour
Inter-relationship 3) What are the structure and content in the Luria Nebrasks
Neuropsychological battery?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4) Discuss the theoretical foundation on which Luria Nebraska battery is
devised.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5) What are the validity and reliability of this test battery?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

3.8 THE HALSTEAD-REITAN

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY
3.8.1 History
The beginnings of the battery can be traced to the special laboratory established
by Halstead in 1935 for the study of neurosurgical patients. The first major report
on the findings of this laboratory appeared in a book called Brain and intelligence:
A Quantitative study of the frontal lobes), suggesting that the original intent of
Halstead’s test was describing frontal lobe function. In this book, Halstead
proposed his theory of “biological intelligence” and presented what probably
the first factor analysis that was done with neuropsychological test data. Perhaps
more significantly, however, the book contains descriptions of many of the tests
now contained in the Halstead Reitan battery. In historical perspective, Halstead’s
major contributions to neuropsychological assessment, in addition to his very
useful tests, include the concept of the neuropsychological laboratory in which
objective tests are administered in standard fashion and quantitatively scored,
and the concept of impairment index, a global rating of severity of impairment
and probability of the presence of structural brain damage.

60
Reitan adopted Halstead’s methods and various test procedures and with them Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
established a laboratory at the University of Indiana. He supplemented these
tests with a number of additional procedures in order to obtain greater
comprehensiveness and initiated a clinical research program that is ongoing.
The program began with cross validation of the battery and expanded into
numerous areas, including validation of new tests added to the battery (e.g. the
Trail Marking Test), lateralisation and localisation of function, aging, and
neuropsychological aspects of a wide variety of disorders such as alcoholism,
hypertension, disorders of children, and mental retardation.

Theoretical matters were also considered. Some of the major contributions

included the concept of type locus interaction, the analysis of quantitative as
opposed to qualitative deficits associated with brain dysfunction, the concept of
the brain age quotient, and the scheme for levels and types of inference in
interpretation of neuropsychological test data. In addition to the published
research, Reitan and his collaborators developed a highly sophisticated method
of blind clinical interpretation of the Halstead Reitan battery that continues to be
taught at workshops conducted by Dr. Reitan and associates.

The Halsted Reitan battery, as the procedure came to be known over the years,
also has a history. It has been described as a fixed battery, but the sets of tests are
grown by accretion and revision and continues to be revised. The tests that
survived a long research history include the Category Test, The Tactual
Performance Test, The Speech Perception Test, The Seashore Rhythm Test, and
Finger Tapping.

There have been numerous additions, including the various Wechsler Intelligence
scales, the Trail Making test, a sub-battery of perceptual tests the Reitan aphasia
Screening Test, the Klove Grooved Pegboard, and other tests that are used in
some laboratories but not in others.

Most recently, a procedure described as an “expanded Halsted Reitan battery”

has appeared that includes the original tests plus several additional ones, listed
below. Three major new methods have also been developed for scoring the battery
and computing the impairment index.

The Halstead Reitan battery continues to be widely used as a clinical and research
procedure. Numerous investigators use it in their research, and there have been
several successful cross validations done in settings other than Reitan’s laboratory.
In addition to the continuation of factor analytic work with the battery, several
investigators have applied other forms of multivariate analysis to it in various
research applications.

Some of this research has been conducted relative to objectifying and even
computerising interpretation of the battery; the most well-known efforts are the
Selz Reitan rules for classification of brain function in older children and the
Russel, Neuringer, and Goldstein “neurological keys”.

The issue of reliability of the battery has been addressed, with reasonably
successful results. Clinical interpretation of the battery continues to be taught at
workshops and in numerous programs engaged in the training of professional
psychologists.
61
Brain Behaviour 3.8.2 Structure and Content
Inter-relationship
Although there are several versions of the Halsted Reitan battery, the differences
tend to be minor, and there appears to be a core set procedures that essentially all
versions of the battery must be administered in a laboratory containing specific
equipment. It is probably best to plan on about 6 to 8 hours of patient time. Each
test of the battery is independent and may be administered separately from the
other tests. However, it is generally assumed that a certain number of the tests
must be administered in order to compute an impairment index.

Scoring for the Halsted Reitan varies with the particular test, such that individual
scores may be expressed in time to completion, errors, number correct, or some
form of derived score. These scores are often converted to standard scores or
ratings so that they may be profiled. All of the tests contributing to the impairment
index on a 6-point scale, the data being displayed as a profile of the ratings. They
have also provided quantitative scoring systems for the Reitan Aphasia Test and
for the drawing of a Greek cross that is part of that test. However, some clinicians
do not quantify those procedures, except in the form of counting the number of
Aphasic symptoms elicited.

Theoretical Foundation: There are really two theoretical bases for the Halsted
Reitan battery, one contained in brain and intelligence and related writings of
Halstead. The other are found in numerous papers and chapters written by Reitan
and various collaborators. Halstead was really the first to establish a human
neuropsychology laboratory in which patients were administered objective tests,
some of which are semi automated, utilising standard procedures and sets of
instructions. His Chicago laboratory may have been the stimulus for the now
common practice of administration of neuropsychological tests by trained
technicians. Halstead was also the first to use sophisticated, multivariate statistics
in the analysis of neuropsychological test data.

Reitan’s program can be conceptualised as an effort to demonstrate the usefulness

nad accuracy of Halstead’s tests and related procedures in clinical assessment of
brain damaged patients. Halstead’s of a standard neuropsychological battery
administered under laboratory conditions and consisting of objective, quantifiable
procedure was maintained and expanded by Reitan. Both Halsted and Reitan
shared what might be described as a Drawinian approach to neuropsychology.

Halstead’s discriminating tests are viewed as a measure of adaptive abilities, of

skills that ensured man’s survival on the planet. Many neuropsychologists are
now greatly concerned with the relevance of their test procedures to adaptation,
that is the capacity to carry on functional activities of daily living and to live
independently (Heaton & Pendleton, 1981). This general philosophy is somewhat
different from the more traditional models emanating from behavioural neurology,
in which there is a much greater emphasis on the more medical-pathological
implications of behavioural test findings.

One could say that Reitan’s great concern has always been with the empirical
validity of test procedures. Such validity can only be established through the
collection of large amounts of data obtained from patients with reasonably
complete documentation of their medical\neurological conditions. Both presence
and absence of brain damage had to be well documented, and if present, findings
related to site and type of lesion had to be established. He described his work
62
informally as one large experiment, necessitating maximal consistency in the Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
procedures used, and to some extent, in the methods of analysing the data. Reitan
and his various collaborators represent the group that was primarily responsible
for the introduction of standard battery approach to clinical neuropsychology. It
is clear from reviewing the Reitan group’s work that there is substantial emphasis
on performing controlled studies with samples sufficiently large to allow for the
application of conventional statistical procedures.

It would probably be fair to say that the major thrust of Reitan’s research and
writings has not been espousal of some particular theory of brain function, but
rather an extended examination of the inferences that can be made from
behavioural indices relative to the condition of the brain. There is a great emphasis
on methods of drawing such inferences in case of the individual patient. Thus,
this group’s work has always involved empirical research and clinical
interpretation, with one feeding into the other. In this regard, there has been a
formulation of inferential methods used in neuropsychology that provides a
framework for clinical interpretation. Four methods are outlined: level of
performance, pattern of performance, specific behavioural deficits
(pathognomonic signs), and right-left comparisons. In other words, one examines
whether the patient’s general level of adaptive function is comparable to that of
normal individuals, whether there is some characteristics performance profile
that suggests impairment even though the average score may be within normal
limits, whether there are unequivocal individual signs of deficits, and whether
there is a marked discrepancy in functioning between the two sides of the body.

3.8.3 Theoretical Foundations of Component Tests

Some form of lateral dominance examination administered, generally including
tests for hand, foot, and eye dominance

Halstead’s Biological Intelligence Tests: There are five subtests in this section
of Halsted-Reitan battery developed by Halstead.

The Halstead Category Test: This test is a concept identification procedure in

which the subject must discover the concept or principle that governs various
series of geometric forms and verbal and numerical material. The apparatus for
the test includes a display screen with four horisontally arranged numbered
switches placed beneath it. The stimuli on slides and the examiner use a control
console to administer the procedure. The subject is asked to press the switch that
the picture reminds him or her of, and is provided with additional instructions.

The point of the test is to see how well the subject can learn the concept, idea, or
principle that connects the pictures. If the correct switch is pressed, the subject
will hear a pleasant chime, while wrong answers are associated with a rasping
buzzer. The conventionally used score is the total number of errors for the seven
groups of stimuli that forms the test. Booklet forms (Adams & Trenton, 1981;
DeFillippis, McCampbell & Rogers, 1979) and abbreviated forms (Calsyn,
O’Leary, & Chaney, 1980; Russel & Levy, 1987; Sherril, 1987) of this test have
been developed.

The Halstead Tactual Performance Test: This procedure used a version of the
Seguin-Goddard Form board, but it is done blindfold. The subject’s task is to
place all the 10 blocks into the board, using only the sense of touch. The task is
63
Brain Behaviour repeated three times, once with the preferred hand, once with the non preferred
Inter-relationship
hand, and once with both hands, after which the board is removed. After removing
the blindfold, the subject is asked to draw a picture of the board, filling in all of
the blocks he or she remembers in their proper locations on the board. Scores
from this test include time to complete the task for each of the three trials, total
time, number of blocks correctly drawn, and number of blocks correctly drawn
in their proper locations on the board.

The Speech Perception Test: The subject is asked to listen to a series of 60

sounds, each of which consists of a double e digraph with varying prefixes and
suffixes. The test is given in a four-alternative multiple-choice format, the task
being to underline on an answer sheet the sound heard, the score is the number
of errors.

The Seashore Rhythm Test: This test consists of 30 pairs of rhythmic patterns.
The task is to judge whether the two members of each pair are the same or
different and to record the response by writing an S or a D on an answer sheet.
The score is either the number correct or the number of errors.

Finger Tapping: The subject is asked to tap his or her extended index finger on
a typewriter key attached to a mechanical counter. Several series of 10-second
trials are run, with both the right and the left hand. The scores are the average
number of taps, generally over five trials, for the right and left hand.

Tests added to the battery by Reitan. Reitan added four components to the battery
and these are given below:

The Wechsler Intelligence Scales: This test is given according to manual

instructions and is not modified in any way. Most clinicians use the most current
revision of these scales, although much of the early research was done with the
Wechsler-Bellevue and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale (WAIS).

The Trail Making Test: In part A of this procedure the subject must connect in
order a series of circled numbers randomly scattered over a sheet of 81\2 X 11
paper. In part B, there are circled numbers and letters and the subject’s task
involves alternating between numbers and letters in serial order. The score is
time to completion expressed in seconds for each part.
The Reitan Aphasia Screening Test: This test serves two purposes in that it
contains both copying and language-related tasks. As an Aphasia screening
procedure, it provides a brief survey of the major language functions: naming,
repetition, spelling, reading, writing, calculation, narrative speech, and right-left
orientation. The copying task involves having the subject copy a square, Greek
cross, triangle, and key. The first three items must each be drawn in one continuous
line. The language section may be scored by listing the number of aphasic
symptoms or by using the quantitative system developed by Russel and co-
workers. The drawings are either not formally scored are rated through a matching
to model system also provided by Russel and Colleagues.
Perceptual Disorders: The procedure actually constitute a sub-battery and
include tests of the subject’s ability to recognise shapes by touch and identifies
numbers written on the fingertips, as well as tests of finger discrimination and
visual, auditory, and tactile neglect. The number of errors is the score for all
64 these procedures.
Other Tests: The Halsted Reitan battery was expanded further by other Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
researchers to include more tests.
The Klove Grooved Pegboard Test: The subject must place pegs shaped like
keys into a board containing recesses that are oriented in randomly varying
directions. The test is administered twice, once with the right and once with the
left hand. Sores are the time to completion in seconds in each hand and errors for
each hand, defined as the number of pegs dropped during performance of the
task.
The Klove roughness Discrimination Test: The subject must order four blocks
covered with varying grades of sandpaper presented behind a blind with regards
to degree of roughness. Time and error scores are recorded for each hand.
Visual Field Examination: Russel et. al include a formal visual field examination
using a parameter as part of their assessment procedure.
Tests in the expanded version include the Wisconnin card Sorting, Thurstone
word Fluency, Story Memory, Figural Memory, Seashore Tonal Memory, Digit
Vigilance, Peabody Individual Achievement, and Boston naming Tests, plus a
part of Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination.

3.8.4 Standardisation Research

The Halsted Reitan battery, as a whole, meets rigorous validity requirements.
Following Halstead’s initial validation it was cross-validated by Reitan and in
several laboratories. Validity, in this sense, means that all component tests of the
battery that contribute to the impairment index, discriminate at levels satisfactory
for producing usable cut off scores for distinguishing between brain-damaged
and non brain-damaged patients. The major expectations, the time sense and
Flicker Fusion Tests, have been dropped from the battery by most of its users. In
general, the validation criteria for these studies consisted of neurological and
other definitive neurological data. It may be mentioned, however, that most of
these studies were accomplished before the advent of computed tomography
(CT) scan, and it would probably now be possible to do more sophisticated validity
studies, perhaps through correlating the extent of impairment with quantitative
measures of brain damage (e.g. CT scan or MRI measures). Validity studies were
also accomplished with tests added to the battery such as the Wechsler scales,
the Trail Making Test, and the Reitan Aphasia Screening Test, with generally
satisfactory results.

By virtue of the level of inferences made by clinicians from Halsted-Reitan battery

data, validity studies must obviously go beyond the question of presence or
absence of brain-damage. The first issue raised related to discriminative validity
between patients with left hemisphere and right hemisphere brain-damage such
measures as Finger Tapping, the Tactual Performance, the Perceptual disorders
sub-battery, and the Reitan Aphasia Screening test all were reported to have
adequate discriminative validity in this regard. There have been very few studies,
however, that goes further and provides validity data related to more specific
criteria such as localisation and type of lesion.

It would appear from one impressive study that valid inferences concerning
prediction at this level must be clinically, and one cannot call upon the standard
univariate statistical procedures to make the necessary discriminations. The study
65
Brain Behaviour provides the major impetus for Russel and co-workers’ neuropsychological key
Inter-relationship
approach, which was an essence an attempt to objectify higher-order inferences.

The discriminative validity of Halsted-Reitan battery in the field of

psychopathology, mainly regarding schizophrenia, has been widely studied, and
has been substantially reconceptualised since the discovery of numerous
neurobiological abnormalities in schizophrenia. What we have now is really a
neuropsychology of schizophrenia, to which the Halsted-Reitan battery has
contributed.

Although there have been several studies of the predictive validity of

neuropsychological tests with children and other studies with adults that does
not use the full Halsted-Reitan battery no major formal assessment of the
predictive validity of Halsted-Reitan battery has been accomplished with adults.
Within neuropsychology, predictive validity has two aspects:

Predicting everyday academic, vocational, and social functioning and Predicting

course of illness.

With regard to the first aspect, Heaton and Pendleton (1981) document lack of
predictive validity studies using extensive batteries of the Halsted Reitan type.
However they do not report one study in which Halsted Reitan successfully
predicted employment status on 6-month follow-up. With regard to prediction
of course of illness, there appears to be a good deal of clinical expertise, but no
major formal studies in which the battery’s capacity to predict whether the patient
will get better, worse, or stay the same is evaluated. This matter is of particular
significance in such conditions as head injury and stroke, since outcome tends to
be quite variable in these conditions. The changes that occur during the early
stages of these disorders are often the most significant ones related to prognosis.

In general, there has not been a great deal of emphasis on studies involving the
reliability of the Halsted Reitan battery, probably because of nature of the tests
themselves, particularly with regard to the practice effect problem, and because
of the changing nature of those patients from whom the battery was developed.
Golstein and Watson (1989) provided a review of Halsted Reitan battery reliability
studies, as well as a test-retest study of their own, concluding that reliability
levels were satisfactory in a number of different clinical groups.

The category test can have its reliability assessed through the split-half method.
Self Assessment Questions
1) Discuss in detail the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological battery.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
66
 Neuropsychology Test
2) Trace the history of how the Halstead-Reitan battery was devised. Batteries
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
3) What are the structure and content in the Halstead Reitan
Neuropsychological battery?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
4) Discuss the theoretical foundation on which Halstead Reitan battery is
devised.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
5) What are the validity and reliability of this test battery?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

3.8.5 The NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery

There are two approaches of NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery
I) The first approach was proposed by Dr. C.R Mukundan. The battery
constitutes tests, some of which are adapted for the local patient population
and some developed on the basis of principles of cerebral localisation and
lateralisation of higher mental functions. This is a loosely packed battery
from which appropriate tests can be chosen according to diagnostic needs
and used along with other tests to form an integrated interpretation. The
various tests included are: 67
Brain Behaviour Tests for Eliciting Frontal Lobe Dysfunction
Inter-relationship
1) Attention
– Spontaneous arousal of attention
– Distraction
– Excessive broadening/ narrowing of attention

2) Tests of visual search

– Visual scanning of numbers
– Visual scanning of pictures
– Visual exploration test

3) Mental set- Psychomotor perseveration

4) Psychomotor deficits
– Test of Optic-kinaesthetic organisation
– Test of optic-spatial organisation
– Kinetic melody disturbance

5) Deficits in working memory

– Test of mental control
– Delayed response tests

6) Deficits of ideational and design fluency test

7) Deficits in visuospatial planning tasks

– Bender gestalt test
– Alexander passalong test
– Object assembly test
– Maze tests
8) Frontal Amnesia
9) Expressive speech disturbances
10) Changes in voluntary activity, personality and affect
Tests for Eliciting Temporal Lobe Dysfunction
1) Deficits of visual integration
– Block design test
– Object assembly test
2) Verbal and Visual learning and memory functions test
– The verbal learning and memory functions test
– Visual learning and memory functions test
3) Benton’s visual retention test
4) Test of comprehension
5) Presence of nominal aphasia
6) Presence of conduction aphasia
– Sentence repetition test
68
7) Recent history of cognitive, emotional and personality changes Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
Tests for Eliciting Parietal Lobe Dysfunction
1) Tests for visuospatial perception
– Bender gestalt test

– Block design test

– Spatial comparison test

– Spatial comparison using verbal report of differences
2) Presence of
– Apraxia (ideomotor, ideational and constructional)
– Agnosia (Visual object agnosia, prospagnosia, finger agnosia,
autotopagnosia, hemisomatagnosia, simultagnosia, visual inattention,
astereognosia and left-right disorientation)
II) The second approach was developed by Dr. Shobhani Rao et.al in 2004:
This approach is more quantitative and the tests are organised on the basis
of various neuropsychological functions. Performance on neuropsychological
tests is influenced by socio-demographic variables such as age, education,
69
Brain Behaviour and the test-taking attitude of the population. For example, the Indian
Inter-relationship
population has wide variation with reference to education hence normative
data collected elsewhere will be invalid in an Indian context, has seen the
development of many tests in the recent past, these tests may have to be
changed, as they may not have carry meaning to our population. For the
above two reasons, we need to collect normative data for our population.
The present study is the outcome of an endeavour to collect normative data
for 18 widely used tests, which assess various domains and are in current
international usage. The various tests included are:
Tests of Speed: can be categorised into
1) Motor speed - Finger tapping tests and
2) Mental speed -Digit Symbol Substitution Test

Tests of Attention:
3) Focused attention-Colour trails test
4) Sustained attention- digit vigilance test
5) Divided attention- the triads test

Tests of executive functions:

6) Phonemic fluency-controlled oral word association test (COWA)
7) Category Fluency-Animal names test
8) Design fluency-design fluency test

Working memory:
9) N back test (Verbal working memory and Visual working memory)
10) Self ordered pointing test

Planning
11) Tower of London test

Set shifting
12) Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST)
Response inhibition
13. Stroop test-NIMHANS version
Verbal comprehension
14) Token test
Tests of verbal Learning and memory:
15) Rey’s Auditory verbal learning test
16) Logical memory test

Visuo constructive ability

17) Complex figure test

70
 Neuropsychology Test
Batteries

18) Design learning test

3.9 LET US SUM UP

In the first part of this chapter, general problems in the area of standardisation of
comprehensive neuropsychological test batteries were discussed, while the second
part contained brief reviews of the two most widely used procedures, the Halstead
Reitan and the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological batteries. These batteries
have their advantages and disadvantages. The Halstead-Reitan is well established
and detailed but is lengthy, cumbersome, and neglects certain areas, notably
memory. The Luria Nabraska is also fairly comprehensive and briefer than the
Halstead Reitan but is currently quite controversial and is thought to have major
deficiencies in standardisation and rationale, at least by some observers. We
have taken the view that all of these standard batteries are screening instruments,
but not in the sense of screening for presence or absence of brain damage. Rather,
they may be productively used to screen a number of functional areas, such as
memory, language, or visual-spatial skills that may be affected by brain damage.
With the development of the new imaging techniques in particular, it is important
that the neuropsychologist not simply tally the referring agent what he or she
already knows. The unique contribution of standard neuropsychological
assessment is the ability to describe functioning in many crucial areas on a
quantitative basis. The extent to which one procedure can perform this type of
task more accurately and efficiently than other procedures will no doubt greatly
influence the relative acceptability of these batteries by the professional
community.

3.10 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1) Discuss the goals of neuropsychological assessment.
2) Describe structure and content of Luria-Nebraska neuropsychological test
battery.
3) Mention the major contents of Halstead- Reitan battery of neuropsychological
assessment. 71
Brain Behaviour 4) Discuss the need and benefits of Indian standardisation of neuropsychological
Inter-relationship
test batteries.
5) Explain the tests of executive functioning and working memory tests of
NIMHANS neuropsychological battery.

3.11 SUGGESTED READINGS

Filskov, S. B., & Bold, T. J (1981). Handbook of Clinical Neuropsychology.
New York: Wiley-Interscience.

G. Golstein & T. M. Incagnoli (Eds), Contemporary Approaches to

Neuropsychological Assessments (pp.93-129),New York: Plenum Press.

Lezak, M. (1976). Neuropsychological Assessment (Ist ed.). New York: Oxford

university press.

References

Christensen, A.L. (1975a). Luria’s neuropsychological investigation. New York

spectrum.

Christensen, A.L. (1975b). Luria’s neuropsychological investigation: manual.

New York spectrum.

Davis, K.(1983,october). Potential neurochemical and neuroendocrine validators

of assessment instruments. paper presented at conference on clinical memory
Assessment of older adults, Wakefield, M.A.

Golden, C. J(1981). A standardised version of Luria’s neuropsychological tests;a

quantitative and qualitative approach to neuropsychological evaluation. In Filskov,
S. B., & Bold, T. J (Eds.),handbook of clinical neuropsychology(pp.608 to 642).
New York: Wiley-Interscience.

Golden, C. J., Hemmeke, T. & Purisch, A. (1980). The Luria-Nebraska battery

manual, Los Angeles: Western psychological services.

Golden, C. J., Hemmeke, T. & Purisch, A(1985) Luria-Nebraska

neuropsychological battery manual form I & II. Los Angeles: Western
psychological services.

Goldstein, G. (1982). Overview: clinical application of Halstead-Reitan and Luria-

nebraska batteries. Paper presented at NE-RMEC conference, Northport, NY.

Goldstein, G., & Watson, J. R (1989). Test-retest reliability of the Halstead-Reitan

battery and the WAIS in a neuropsychiatric population. The clinical
neuropsychologist,3,265-273.

Heaton, R. K, Grant, I., & Matthews, C. G.(1991).comprehensive norms for an

expanded Halstead-Reitan battery. Odessa, FL: psychological assessment
resources.

Heaton, R. K, Pendleton, M. G. (1981). Use of neuropsychological test to predict

adult patients everyday functioning. Journal of consulting and clinical
psychology,49, 807-821.
72
Jastak, S.,& Wilkinson, G. S (1984).wide range achievement test-revised. Neuropsychology Test
Batteries
Wilmington, DE: Jastak Associates, Inc.

Levin, H. S., Benton, A. L., & Grossman, R. G. (1982).neurobehavioural

consequences of closed head injury. New York Oxford University Press.

Luria, A. R.(1973).the working brain. New York basic books.

Meier, M.J.(1974).some challenges for clinical neuropsychology. In R. M. Reitan

& L. A. Davison(Eds), clinical neuropsychology. Reed, J.C, & H.B.C(1997),
Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological battery. In G. Golstein & T. M. Incagnoli
(Eds) ,Contemporary approaches to neuropsychological assessments(pp.93-
129),New York: Plenum Press.

Reitan, R. M (1958).Qualitative versus quantitative mental changes following

brain damage. journal of psychology,46,339-346.

Reitan, R. M (1964). Psychological deficits resulting from cerebral lesion in

man. In J. M. Warren & K. Akert (Eds.), the frontal granular cortex and behaviour
(pp.295-312). New York: McGraw Hill.

Reitan, R. M., & Wolfson, D. (1993). The Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological

test battery: theory and clinical interpretation (2 nd ed.).Tucson, AZ:
neuropsychology press.

Russell, E. W., & Starkey, R. I (1993). Halstead-Russell neuropsychological

evaluation system: manual and computer program. Los Angeles; Western
psychological services.

Selz, M., & Reitan, R. M. (1979).Rules for neuropsychological diagnosis:

classification of brain function in older children. Journal of consulting and clinical
psychology,47 ,258-264.

Shelly, C., & Goldstein, G. (1983). Discrimination of chronic schizophrenia

and brain damage with the Luria-Nebraska battery: A partially successful
replication. clinical neuropsychology,5,82-85

Sherrill, R. E. jr. (1987). options for shortening Halstead’s category test for adults.
I Archives of clinical neuropsychology,2,343-352.

Wechsler, D. (1955). Wechsler adult intelligence scale manual. San Antonio,

TX: The psychological corporation.

References (for pictures)

brainfitnessresources.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_fitness
assessmenttoolshop.com

73