Identify cognitive strengths and weaknesses to predict ability to perform daily living activitiesĪssess for psychological contributions to symptom presentations (e.g., depression, somatoform features)ĭifferentiate “worried well” patients from those with cognitive impairmentĮstablish, confirm, or differentiate between diagnoses that affect cognitionĮvaluate for dementia and differentiate between potential etiologies Most patients who underwent neuropsychological evaluation and their significant others reported that they found the evaluation helpful in understanding and coping with cognitive problems.Ĭharacterize cognitive and behavioral functionĮstablish cognitive baseline before or after illness, injury, or treatmentĮvaluate the impact of a medical issue on cognitive, behavioral, or emotional function A neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful in addressing concerns about functional capacities (e.g., ability to drive or live independently) and in determining a patient's capacity to make decisions about health care or finances. ![]() The addition of neuropsychological testing to injury severity variables (e.g., posttraumatic amnesia) increases predicted accuracy in functional outcomes. Neuropsychological testing can differentiate Alzheimer dementia from nondementia with nearly 90% accuracy. Family physicians should consider referring patients when there are questions about diagnostic decision making or planning of individualized management strategies for patients with mild cognitive impairment, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and other clinical conditions that affect cognitive functioning. They use standardized assessment tools and integrate the findings with other data to determine whether cognitive decline has occurred, to differentiate neurologic from psychiatric conditions, to identify neurocognitive etiologies, and to determine the relationship between neurologic factors and difficulties in daily functioning. ![]() Neuropsychologists provide detailed assessments of cognitive and emotional functioning that often cannot be obtained through other diagnostic means.
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