title: The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test as a test for executive function: validity in patient groups and norms for older adults.
abstract: Impairments in executive functioning frequently occur after acquired brain damage, in psychiatric disorders, and in relation to aging. The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test is a relatively new measure for assessing the ability to detect and follow a rule, an important aspect of executive functioning. To date, normative data on this task are limited, particularly concerning the elderly. This study presents age- and education-adjusted regression-based norms obtained in a group of healthy older participants (n = 283; mean age 67.4 +/- 8.5 years). The applicability and validity of these norms were further examined in different groups of patients with stroke (n = 106), diabetes mellitus (n = 376), MCI/early dementia (n = 70), psychiatric disorders (n = 63), and Korsakoff's syndrome (n = 41). The results showed that patients with Korsakoff's syndrome, stroke, and psychiatric disorders performed significantly worse than healthy controls. Test-retest correlation (n = 83), learning effects, and correlations with other neuropsychological tests were also explored. Based on the present study, the Brixton test appears a useful addition to existing measures of executive functioning. Moreover, the test can be reliably applied in different groups of clinical patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. e.vandenberg-6@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: Gudrun M S
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Nys
authors.forename: Augustina M A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brands
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruis
authors.forename: Martine J E
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Zandvoort
authors.forename: Roy P C
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kessels
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D020915:Korsakoff Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult