Cognitive and Attention Skills test

CNS (Cognitive and Attention Skills test)

Clinical Practice

CNS Vital Signs in-office neurocognitive testing procedure is a non-invasive clinical procedure to efficiently and objectively assess a broad spectrum of brain function performance or domains under challenge (cognition stress test) and 50+ computerized clinical and quality rating instruments e.g., PQRS to enable the measuring of important clinical symptoms, behaviors, and comorbidities to …
CNS Vital Signs has taken a LIFESPAN approach … collecting a large neurocognitive normative reference group from ages 8 to 89. The normative comparison helps clinicians grade the level of neurocognitive impairment that can help rule-in or rule-out certain clinical conditions and/or determine the level of impairment.

CNS Vital Signs leading edge neurocognitive and behavioral health assessment technologies efficiently collects valid and reliable brain & behavioral clinical endpoints providing clinicians with valuable clinical endpoints that help inform the clinical relationship between brain function (central nervous system) and neurocognitive / behavioral dysfunction.

The CNS Vital Signs assessment platform has been rapidly custom configured and deployed in numerous clinical and research settings to aid and support clinical practice and research activities along the CARE CONTINUUM:\

Clinicians use CNS Vital Signs as a BRIEF-CORE assessment to get a rapid or immediate read on a patient’s neurocognitive status. Brain and behavioral specialists use CNS Vital Signs in combination with other valid assessments to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of an individual patient’s status and then continue using CNS Vital Signs to guide rehabilitation and patient management, track treatment or intervention outcomes, and disease progression.

CNS Vital Signs VS4 Advanced Clinical Platform Solutions Infographic

CNS Vital Signs tests and auto-scored results provide the clinician with a broader spectrum of clinical domains and the sensitivity to assessing neurocognitive function is such that they often reveal abnormality in the absence of positive findings in CT and MRI scans e.g. concussion. Moreover, they can identify patterns of impairment that are not determinable through other procedures, assisting in the evaluation and management process and leading to more appropriate treatment recommendations.

CNS Vital Signs supports many recently updated neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric clinical guidelines as well as assessing neurocognition in conditions such as chemo brain, obesity, bariatric and post-surgery procedures, as well as healthy aging programs. Neurocognitive testing procedure codes are found under “Central Nervous System Assessments /Tests” category and are used with ICD-10 billing codes. Computerized neurocognitive testing procedures are clinically indicated and medically necessary when patients display signs and symptoms and/or clinicians suspect of neurocognitive and/or neurobehavioral dysfunction.

CNS Vital Signs assessment platforms enables practice efficiencies with availability on multiple computer platforms … locally testing on Laptop or Desktop computers via software application, Web-based assessments via CNSVS Online. The CNS Vital Signs assessment technologies can also be used to add efficiency to large scale screening, patient in-takes, research activities as well as everyday practice needs. The assessment platforms are HIPAA and 21 CFR 11 compliant in maintaining the secure and systematic documentation of the clinical data.

The assessment platforms are easy to configure and use in busy clinic settings. Patients usually like taking the tests and appreciate the fact that their clinician has a tool to objectively measure their neurocognitive status and systematically collect their symptom, behavioral, and comorbidity information.

Integrated Visual and Auditory (I.V.A.)

INTRODUCTION

The Integrated Visual and Auditory (I.V.A.) continuous performance test (CPT) is a screening tool used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures (parent and teacher behaviour rating scales, QEEG, T.O.V.A.) to assist in the screening of individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Developed by
John Sandford (psychologist) and Anne Turner (physician). It was designed to discriminate ADHD populations from individuals with Conduct Disorder and without behaviour problems and is based on the research of Chee (1989) and Connors (1994). It can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of neurofeedback training or medication.

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

In the test-retest reliability study, the I.V.A. was found to be a significantly stable measure of performance both globally and in terms of specific scales. The sensitivity of the IVA in being able to correctly identify ADHD children who were previously diagnosed by health professionals is 92%. The Specificity (proportion of non ADHD children who received a negative finding) was 90%. The positive predictive power is 89% and the number of false negatives 7.7% (lower than most other CPT’s).

CLINICAL USE OF THE I.V.A.

An objective test like the I.V.A. provides useful data to help clinicians in documenting the presence or absence or response control and attentional problems that support making a clinical, differential diagnosis of ADHD. This is particularly so in the case of adults who often only realise they may have ADHD when their children are diagnosed and who then have to rely almost exclusively on subjective recall of past problem behaviour; going back fifteen or more years.

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