Poster Session 02 Program Schedule
02/15/2024
08:00 am - 09:15 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)
Poster Session 02: Aging | MCI | Neurodegenerative Disease - PART 1
Final Abstract #61
Utility of Neuropsychological Testing for Patients with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA): A Case Study
Elizabeth Malkin, NYU Langone Rusk Rehabilitation, New York, United States
Category: Neurodegenerative Disorders
Keyword 1: neuropsychological assessment
Objective:
To explore the utility of neuropsychological testing for patients with Posterior Cortical Atrophy. As well as provide an appreciation for the role neuropsychologists play in multidisciplinary teams.
Participants and Methods:
Patient is a 55-year-old, right-handed, Caucasian man who was referred for a neuropsychological evaluation due to concerns related to her cognitive functioning. More specifically, the patient expressed concern regarding cognitive decline in the context of visual deficits and peripheral vision loss. All background information was obtained from a clinical interview with patient and a review of all available medical records.
Results:
Testing data provided evidence for borderline intellectual functioning, which was much lower than patient's estimated average level of premorbid functioning. On tests of intelligence, patient displayed much greater abilities on tasks that required verbal mediation as compared to those dependent on visual-motor integration and nonverbal abstract reasoning. On neuropsychological measures, performance was generally impaired aside from language abilities. Areas of impairment were noted in verbal memory of unstructured information, verbal memory of structured information, visual memory, simple visual attention, divided visual attention, auditory attention, and working memory, verbal response inhibition, cognitive processing speed, executive functioning, visual perception, visual organization and planning, and bilateral fine motor dexterity. Mild to moderate inefficiencies were displayed in confrontation naming abilities and semantic fluency. Otherwise, patient performed in the average range on a task of phonemic fluency.
Conclusions:
The comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation of this patient presents a pattern of cognitive deficits, notably in memory, attention, executive functioning, and motor skills, that are more severe than those typically seen in normal age-related decline. His relatively preserved language abilities, in contrast to these deficits, and the reported visual-spatial deficits, follow the pattern of a neurodegenerative process such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). However, further monitoring is required. Neuropsychological testing aids in monitoring cognitive decline as well as strengths and weaknesses of this patient over time for a more definitive diagnosis.
This case underscores the need for ongoing neuropsychological re-evaluations, as these are crucial for tracking cognitive decline progression and for refining and updating diagnosis and treatment plans as necessary. In addition to functional neuroimaging techniques like PET scans, patients receive a more comprehensive evaluation over time and a clearer diagnosis. A multidisciplinary approach involving medical, neuropsychological, and nutritional interventions could prove beneficial in managing and slowing the progression of cognitive decline in conditions like PCA. Lastly, this case emphasizes the value of early and comprehensive neuropsychological assessments in PCA in order to see clear data in different areas of cognitive functioning and to identify patterns in the patient’s condition. This encourages further studies in exploring the utility and effectiveness of various diagnostic and treatment approaches for PCA.
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