Neuropsychological Evaluations (NPE)

A Neuropsychological Evaluation (NPE) is an assessment of how one’s brain functions, which indirectly yields information about the structural and functional integrity of your brain. The neuropsychological evaluation involves an interview and the administration of tests. The tests can be pencil and paper or computerized. Some tasks might be self-reports measures but the majority of the tests require administration by a neuropsychologist or trained psychometrist. 

Neuropsychological tests are standardized, meaning that they are given in the same manner to all patients and scored in a similar manner time after time. An individual’s scores on tests are interpreted by comparing their score to that of healthy individuals of a similar demographic background (i.e., of similar age, education, gender, and/or ethnic background) and to expected levels of functioning. In this way, a neuropsychologist can determine whether one’s performance on any given task represents a strength or weakness.

 

Although individual scores are important, the neuropsychologist looks at all of the data from the evaluation to determine a pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses and, in turn, to understand more about how the brain is functioning.
 

An NPE can be used for numerous reasons including but not limited to the following:

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• Assist in a differential diagnosis (e.g., to determine whether possible mental and behavioral changes are related to the movement disorder, depression, another brain disease or treatment);

• Assist with evaluation before and after functional neurosurgical procedures 

• Provide a baseline against which subsequent evaluations can be compared. 

• Reveal areas of cognitive deficits and thereby assist in diagnosing

• Assess areas of daily functioning (e.g., financial management) with which the patient may need assistance

• Develop a treatment plan

• Assess capacity to make decisions (e.g. medical & legal)

• Psycho-educational purposes 

• Determining disability

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