Established Applications of Neuropsychological Evaluation

Applications of Neuropsychological Evaluations include the following:

• Provide a differential diagnosis of organic and functional pathologies
• Assess for dementia versus pseudodementia
• Determine the presence of epilepsy versus somatoform disorder (that is, nonepileptic seizures or pseudoseizures)
• Determine the presence of traumatic brain injury(TBI) sequelae versus malingering or unconscious highlighting
• Guide rehabilitation programs and monitor patient progress
• Guide the therapist in referring to specialists
• Provide data to guide decisions about the patient's condition, such as the following:
  • Competency to manage legal and financial affairs
  • Capacity to participate in medical and legal decision making
  • Ability to live independently or with supervision
  • Ability to return to work and school affairs
  • Candidacy for transplants
• Provide data to guide the following assessments and procedures:
  • Evaluation of the cognitive effects of various medical disorders and associated interventions
  • Assessment of tests for diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and clinical drug trials
  • Assessment of CNS lesions and/or seizure disorders before and after surgical interventions, including corpus callosotomy, focal resection (eg, topectomy, lobectomy), and multiple subpial transection
  • Monitoring the effects of pharmacologic interventions
  • Documenting the cognitive effects of exposure to neurotoxins
  • Documenting adverse effects of whole brain irradiation in children
  • Comparing with guidelines for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) influenced by standardized evaluation of memory
  • Standard protocols for assessment of specific disorders, such as dementia of the Alzhiemer type, multiple sclerosis, TBI , and stroke .

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