NEUROLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS
Neuropsychological testing is a comprehensive evaluation of your cognitive and behavioral abilities using a set of standardized tests and procedures. It assesses the brain’s functioning and can yield valuable information about its structural and functional integrity. Although individual scores are important, the neuropsychologist looks at all of the data from the evaluation to determine a pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
Neuropsychological tests evaluate functioning in a number of areas including: intelligence, executive functions (such as planning, abstraction, and conceptualization), attention, memory, language, perception, sensorimotor functions, motivation, mood state and emotion, quality of life, and personality styles. The areas addressed in an individual's evaluation are determined by the referral question, patient's complaints and symptoms, and observations made during interview and test administration.
Who Should Have a Neuropsychological Evaluation?
Neuropsychological services can be useful for many individuals with known or suspected brain dysfunction. Many conditions can affect brain functioning, including general medical conditions, neurological disease, and neuropsychiatric disease. Disorders may be developmental/genetic, acquired (e.g., concussions, traumatic brain injury), or of unknown etiology. BASICS routinely provides neuropsychological evaluation for individuals with:
- Acquired brain injury (concussion, CTE, and traumatic brain injury)
- Developmental delays (Autism, Asperger’s)
- Cerebrovascular disease and stroke
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Learning Disability (i.e., dyslexia)
- Dementia (Alzheimer's, Lewy Body Dementia, etc.) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
- Movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease)
- Mood disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder)