02/15/2024
07:20 am - 08:50 am
Room: West Side Ballroom - Salon 2
CE Workshop 7
Session Host Name: Alexandru Iordan Host's Role: Introduction
Assessment of Memory (Dys)Function: A Critical Appraisal of ‘Classic’ Memory Paradigms and Outcomes With an Eye to the Future
Summary Abstract:
Memory complaints and impairments are prominent in many patients with acquired brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, or medical disorders. Their assessment has been a key part of neuropsychological examinations since the beginning of our discipline, across different cultures. However, many of the task and paradigms used in neuropsychological assessment for testing memory (dys)function are more than a century old (e.g., Rey’s complex figure or verbal learning test) or based on paradigms or findings from the early days of experimental psychology (such as the digit span forward versus backward, the interpretation of learning curves, differences between verbal and nonverbal memory, or recall versus recognition). Results obtained from such tasks are used to support or reject hypotheses on clinical diagnoses, but thorough empirical evidence to support these clinical decisions at the level of individual patients is often lacking or outdated. Additionally, modern insights into memory function based on computerized paradigms used in cognitive neuroscience may not always find their way into clinical neuropsychological practice. Furthermore, novel assessment methods, such as ecological momentary cognitive assessment using smartphone apps may be promising for advancing the assessment of memory function in neuropsychological patients.
In this CE workshop, I will critically discuss widely used paradigms for the neuropsychological assessment of working memory and episodic memory and challenge some of the ‘rule of thumbs’ for interpretation of their results. Moreover, I will address some aspects to consider in memory assessment from a cross-cultural perspective. Furthermore, potential pitfalls in developing novel paradigms will be considered.
Number of Credit Hours: 1.5
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Learning Objectives:
1. List the strengths and limitations of classic memory tests.
2. Critically appraise the literature on novel, potentially promising memory paradigms.
3. Take these into account when interpreting results obtained with these tests in clinical practice.
Presenter(s):
Roy P.C. Kessels, PhD
Radboud University
Roy P.C. Kessels, PhD, is professor of neuropsychology at Radboud University and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. In additions, he holds a clinical appointment at Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry in Venray, the Netherlands. His research and clinical work focuses on patients with various types of memory disorders, including mild cognitive impairment vs. normal aging, Alzheimer's dementia, vascular cognitive impairment and Korsakoff's syndrome. He has co-authored and validated several memory tests, including the Dutch version of the Location Learning Test - Revised, the Wechsler Memory Scale-IV-NL and the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test - Third Edition (RBMT-3-NL). His studies include both traditional neuropsychological tests, novel computerized paradigms, and cognitive momentary assessment (eg via smartphone apps). He also examines the neurocognitive mechanisms of cognitive (dys)function by combining behavioural and cognitive data with structural and functional neuroimaging. He has co-authored over 400 journal publications and (co-)edited several books. He is a certified clinical neuropsychologist in the Netherlands and provide mentorship for those in training to become certified in the Netherlands.
