The neuropsychological evaluation is a procedure specifically designed to explore the cognitive functioning of individuals.
It consists of approximately 2 hours of testing, which the neuropsychologist then evaluates according to your age and educational level, and draws the appropriate conclusions.
The results of the assessment are delivered personally to the patient through the neuropsychological report; with it, the neuropsychologist will personally explain to the patient what the results of the examination have been.
How is the neuropsychological evaluation performed?
First of all, an interview with the patient is carried out, which allows the professional to obtain information. This serves as a guide to the exploration that will be done through standardized tests that allow to know the functioning of different aspects: memory, visuospatial functions, attention, perception, praxis, orientation, calculation, language and executive functions.
The person who carries out the assessment and draws conclusions from the tests applied is the specialist in Clinical Neuropsychology. According to the official association of psychologists, in Spain the clinical neuropsychologist is a professional who, after studying psychology, specializes with theoretical training in the understanding of higher mental capacities and has more than 4,000 hours in clinical practice.
Why have a neuropsychological assessment?
Your neurologist may ask you to take the test as one more tool to learn what is happening in your brain for diagnosis. In dementia or other neuropathologies, knowing the cognitive profile together with the results of neuroimaging tests and neurological examination are key processes for diagnosis.
On the other hand, you may have subjective complaints of memory or concentration and want to determine whether or not these are within normal range for your age.
Often, people who have a family history of dementia become distressed by forgetfulness, even if it is an everyday occurrence, and consider the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease. The neuropsychological assessment determines whether these problems are normal or pathological for their age.
Finally, it is also useful to know what their intellectual strengths and weaknesses are.