Imagine you are a chef who has created a new recipe that combines flavors from different cultures. You want to make sure that your dish tastes great to people from all backgrounds. That’s exactly what the researchers behind the Cross-Cultural Neuropsychological Test Battery (CNTB) did – they designed a test battery to reduce cultural bias in cognitive assessment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). They recruited patients with AD and PD at various stages of cognitive impairment, and compared their performance on the CNTB to that of a healthy control group. The results showed that the CNTB effectively identified cognitive impairments specific to each disease, such as episodic memory deficits in AD-MCI and executive function problems in PD-MCI. The CNTB also demonstrated good convergent validity with existing neuropsychological tests. These findings suggest that the CNTB could be a valuable tool for the early detection of cognitive impairment in AD and PD, helping healthcare professionals tailor interventions to individual patients’ needs. If you want to dive into the details of this research, check out the full article!
BackgroundThe Cross-Cultural Neuropsychological Test Battery (CNTB) is a novel test battery specifically designed to reduce the impact of multiculturality in cognitive assessment.ObjectiveWe aimed to validate the CNTB in Spaniards in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including patients at mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia stages, and Parkinson’s disease with MCI (PD-MCI).MethodsThirty patients with AD-MCI, 30 with AD-dementia (AD-D), and 30 with PD-MCI were recruited. Each clinical group was compared against a healthy control group (HC) with no differences in sex, age, or years of education. Intergroup comparisons, ROC analysis, and cut-off scores were calculated.ResultsAD-MCI scored lower than HC in those subtests associated with episodic memory and verbal fluency. AD-D also showed lower scores in executive functions and visuospatial tests. Effect sizes for all the subtests were large. PD-MCI showed lower performance than HC in memory and executive functions, particularly on error scores, with large effect sizes. Comparing AD-MCI and PD-MCI, AD-MCI had lower memory scores, while PD-MCI showed the worst performance in executive functions. CNTB showed appropriate convergent validity with standardized neuropsychological tests measuring the same cognitive domains. We obtained similar cut-off scores to previous studies performed in other populations.ConclusionsThe CNTB showed appropriate diagnostic properties in AD and PD, including those stages with mild cognitive impairment. This supports the utility of the CNTB for the early detection of cognitive impairment in AD and PD.
Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
Armed with a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in his field, Dr. Lowemann has consistently been at the forefront of research and innovation, delving into ways to optimize human performance, cognition, and overall well-being. His work at the Institute revolves around a profound commitment to harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to help individuals lead more fulfilling and intelligent lives.
Dr. Lowemann’s influence extends to the educational platform BetterSmarter.me, where he shares his insights, findings, and personal development strategies with a broader audience. His ongoing mission is shaping the way we perceive and leverage the vast capacities of the human mind, offering invaluable contributions to society’s overall success and collective well-being.