Remote Neuropscyhological Assessment: Teleneuropsychology.

Introduction: Teleneuropsychology, which includes the remote application of neuropsychological tests to patients via telephone or videoconferencing, can expand access to health services for patients who reside in distant areas or have mobility restrictions. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the use of teleneuropsychology in cognitive assessment. In this review, the aim was to critically review the results of studies conducted in the field of teleneuropsychology and the fundamental principles related to tele-neuropsychological assessment. Additionally, the "guideline for home-based teleneuropsychology" developed for Türkiye's practices is outlined in this review. Method: A literature search was conducted using the Web of Science and PubMed databases to include all types of articles related to the subject. Results: The results of studies on in-clinic and home-based teleneuropsychological assessment indicate that tests that assess cognitive functions such as attention, memory, executive functions, and language, particularly those based on verbal administration, can be reliably applied through teleneuropsychological assessment. However, there are factors to consider when referring patients for teleneuropsychological assessment, selecting tests for assessment, and making ethical considerations. Additionally, it is important to follow recommended steps for both the clinician and the patient and/or their caregiver before and during the interview in order for the assessment to be carried out effectively. Conclusion: Although direct contact with the patient is an essential element in clinical neuropsychology practice, when necessary, teleneuropsychological assessment performed by trained experts following appropriate application procedures can be a good alternative to face-to-face evaluations.

Validity and Reliability of the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA) in Healthy People and Patients with Essential Tremor in the Turkish Population.

Introduction: This study aimed to conduct the validity and reliability of the (Pictures of Facial Affect) POFA test for the Turkish population and contribute to increasing the number of tests that are still insufficient in our country. Methods: This descriptive, randomized controlled study was conducted in two steps, namely Step 1 (Pilot Study and Validity Studies) and Step 2 (Reliability Study Step). The number of participants was planned regarding the original study by which the POFA test was developed. The EYES test was also used for comparison. In the pilot study, the most widely identified emotions from 47 of 110 photos in the POFA test were chosen as the new POFA picture set to be used in the reliability and validity study under the name "POFA Test Short Form". A total of 100 participants, including 82 healthy volunteers and 18 essential tremor (ET) patients, were enrolled in the first step of the study. Another cohort of 22 healthy volunteers was enrolled in the second step of the study for test-retest reliability analysis. Results: A significant positive correlation was found between the total POFA Test Short Form and EYES Test scores in the healthy volunteer group in terms of criterion-related validity (r=0.44, p<0.01). There were statistically significant differences between healthy volunteers and ET groups regarding EYES Total, POFA Total, POFA Sadness, POFA Anger, and POFA Neutral scores. It was observed that the 47-item POFA Test Short Form total score showed skewness and kurtosis, which demonstrated suitability for clinical use. Conclusion: The POFA Test Short Form was found to be a valid and reliable assessment tool in the Turkish population to be used in studies on emotion recognition and was shown to be beneficial for the discrimination of healthy individuals and ET patients.

The effect of vitamin D on neurocognitive functions in older vitamin D deficient adults: a pilot longitudinal interventional study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between vitamin D and cognitive status remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D replacement on cognitive functions in healthy and cognitively intact vitamin D deficient older females. METHODS: This study was designed as a prospective interventional study. A total of 30 female adults aged ≥60 with a serum 25 (OH) vitamin D level of <10 ng/ml were included. Participants were administered 50 000 IU vitamin D3 weekly for 8 weeks followed by a maintenance therapy of 1000 U/day. Detailed neuropsychological assessment was performed prior to vitamin D replacement and repeated at 6 months by the same psychologist. RESULTS: Mean age was 63 ± 6.7 years and baseline vitamin D level was 7.8 ± 2.0 (range: 3.5-10.3) ng/ml. At 6 months, vitamin D level was 32.5 ± 3.4 (32.2-55) ng/ml. The Judgement of Line Orientation Test (P = 0.04), inaccurate word memorizing of the Verbal Memory Processes Test (P = 0.02), perseveration scores of the Verbal Memory Processes Test (P = 0.005), topographical accuracy of the Warrington Recognition Memory Test (P = 0.002), and the spontaneous self-correction of an error in the Boston Naming Test (P = 0.003) scores increased significantly, while the delayed recall score in the Verbal Memory Processes Test (P = 0.03), incorrect naming of words in the Boston Naming Test (P = 0.04), interference time of the Stroop Test (P = 0.05), and spontaneous corrections of the Stroop Test (P = 0.02) scores decreased significantly from baseline. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D replacement has a positive effect on cognitive domains related to visuospatial, executive, and memory processing functions.

Neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Studies of neuropsychological functions in OCD have documented deficits in several cognitive domains, particularly with regard to visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, and motor speed. The objective of the present study was to investigate systematically the cognitive functioning of OCD patients who were free of medication and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 72 OCD patients were compared with 54 healthy controls on their performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to the patients, and a semistructured interview form was used to evaluate the demographic features of the patients and control subjects. Overall, widespread statistically significant differences were found in tests related to verbal memory, global attention and psychomotor speed, and visuospatial and executive functions indicating a poorer performance of the OCD group. A closer scrutiny of these results suggests that the OCD group has difficulty in using an effective learning strategy that might be partly explained by their insufficient mental flexibility and somewhat poor planning abilities.