NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN SENILE D EMENTIA

Neuropsychological assessment plays an integral role in screening for and diagnosings of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), in pa rticular determining whether elderly individuals manifest global menta l deterioration as shown by impairments in multiple areas of cognitive function. Neuropsychological tests distinguish reliably between healt hy older adults and those with SDAT. Other clinical objectives served by neuropsychological testing include: profiling strengths and deficit s in the individual's cognitive functioning; assessing cognitive chang es over time, particularly treatment outcomes; and determining the sev erity and progression of dementia (staging). Longitudinal studies usin g such assessments can track the patterns of cognitive decline in SDAT , typically beginning with problems in memory, language production, an d/or psychomotor performance, and affecting additional areas of cognit ive functioning as the disease progresses. In research on blain-behavi or relationships, neuropsychological assessments help to specify the c ognitive-dysfunctions associated with SDAT and to identify relations b etween them and their anatomical correlates, thereby also increasing t he understanding of these cognitive functions in general. Illustrative tests and recent reports are described in five areas of cognitive fun ctioning: memory and learning, language functioning, visuospatial func tioning, psychomotor performance, and attention. Methodological consid erations for future research studies are also discussed.