Neuropsychological
assessment
Neuropsychological
assessment
What is a Neuropsychological Assessment?
A neuropsychological assessment measures how well a person’s brain is working. The brain functions that we evaluate are, for example, language, attention, short and long-term memory, processing speed, reasoning, and problem-solving.
How to know if you need a neuropsychological assessment?
If you or someone you know suddenly show signs of forgetfulness, distractibility, confusion, difficulty in performing some simple tasks or some tasks which you have been able to perform before, word finding difficulties, decrease in the fluency of the communication- you might benefit from a neuropsychological assessment.
Sometimes these difficulties are linked to a mood disorder- that is, for example, anxiety or depression. Other times these might indicate the beginning of a neurological disorder.
Similarly, people who have experienced a stroke or have a diagnosed neurological condition (for example, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis…) might suddenly find it harder to perform some mental tasks which they could perform before.
A detailed neuropsychological assessment will be able to disentangle the effect of emotional difficulties (anxiety and depression, personality disorders, traumatic experiences) from cognitive deterioration linked to structural changes in the brain.
How to prepare for the appointment
A detailed neuropsychological assessment lasts up to 3 hours. You will be required to perform a series of tasks that will measure your cognitive functions. It is important that your performance reflects your functioning as much as it is possible, and is not affected by other factors such as hunger, thirst, or lack of sleep. Therefore, it is crucial that you come to the session well rested. We are aware that this might not be always possible. We will try to accommodate your needs as much as it is possible. For example, the assessment could be carried out over several sessions, to keep it shorter and minimize the impact of fatigue on your performance. We can also combine in-person assessments with remote assessments, to facilitate our clients’ needs.