For large scale follow up analysis with non-demented patients in which cognition is a last point, there is a requirement for short, inexpensive, sensitive, and reliable neuropsychological tests that are appropriate for repeated Cognitive Function Test measurements. The most commonly used Mini-Mental -Test fulfils only the first 2 requirements.
Need of Cognitive Function Test
Neuro Cognitive Function Test (NCF) is an important component of testing primary and metastatic brain tumors and their therapeutic interventions. Most modern clinical trials cranial irradiation for adult cancer patients have incorporated NCF testing as a primary or secondary end point. These clinical trials have provided a novel insight into our understanding of the Neuro Test effects of cranial irradiation and brain tumor improvement. In this article, we will review on these clinical trials both in terms of the trial findings and in terms of the types of NCF tests used in these trials. They also provide an introduction to the strength and negative effect of these Neuro tests, as well as expert comments on the current status and future instructions of NCF testing in brain tumor trials.
The Cognitive Function Test proved to be reliable (with test reliabilities starting range from acceptable (r=0.63) to high (r=0.88) and sensitive to detect small differences in subjects from various age categories. All Cogat tests showed significant practice effects: performance increased from the first measurement to the next follow up after 2 weeks.
Normative data can be used for one time neuropsychological testing as well as for assessing individual and group change. The most important methods for analyzing cognitive change are proposed. This causes cognitive impairment are being unraveled, there is an urgent need for sensitive and reliable neuropsychological tests for large scale application. The no. of clinical trials evaluating analytical treatments of cognitive decline is increasing rapidly. The main areas of cognitive functioning that tend to change with time or in response to medical interventions that bring about subtle cognitive effects include: memory, attention and cognitive speed.
These psychological abilities are listed among the so called fluid capabilities. Many other cognitive test domains are likely to change, for example, reading, knowledge, and language capabilities. These abilities are called crystallized abilities and by definition remain relatively constant over the normal adult’s life span. For analyzing on individual capabilities changes in cognition test, you test for fluid capabilities such as memory, cognition speed, and attention. As these cognition abilities can be assessed without time consuming or effort consuming procedures they lend themselves towards testing in large scale intervention studies.
Many follow up studies involving cognition in clinical settings have been less successful than they might have been. The important reason for this can be found in the Cognitive tests that were used and it needs to be more effective. In many cognition cases, only one famous test is used: the Mini-Mental- Test (MMT). This test is used as the standard cognitive screening component in virtually all studies involving the elderly population and cognition test, but for specific reasons, it is not very useful in follow up studies. It focuses at screening various part of cognition, including crystallized functions, which, as we have noted, are unlikely to change. The Mini-Mental-Test focuses at screening cognitive functions in people suffering from or at risk for dementia.