Validity of Computerized Testing in Toxic Encephalopathy, Final Performance Report.

摘要

The computer-assisted Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES) test battery was developed for the purpose of detecting brain dysfunction resulting from exposure to neurotoxicants. The NES tests are derived from standard neuropsychological tests that have been well characterized in terms of brain-behavior relationships. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the updated NES test battery in patients diagnosed with toxicant encephalopathy (TE) either due to exposure to lead or to mixed solvents to improve the interpretation of NES test performance in research studies and clinical evaluations examining central nervous system (CNS) function and neurotoxicant exposure. Performance on a hybrid NES2/3 test battery, consisting of several NES2 and the above listed five NES3 tests, by persons diagnosed with toxicant encephalopathy (TE) was compared to that of controls to determine if performance differences reflect a priori hypothesized brain-behavior relationships. Performance on the NES tests also was correlated with performance on the analogous traditional tests.