title: Development and psychometric properties of a neuropsychological battery for mild cognitive impairment with small vessel disease: the VMCI-Tuscany Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular cognitive impairment may have a selective neuropsychological profile. We developed a battery for assessing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients with small vessel disease (SVD), its applicability, and psychometric properties.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among those proposed by the 2006 NINDS-CSN Consensus Conference, we selected tests for which norms based on healthy Italians and equivalent scores methodology were available. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to ascertain the fit of the theoretically assumed dimensions to empirical data and to derive each cognitive dimension compound measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The entire battery was applied to 146 out of a cohort of 201 patients with MCI and SVD. Most tests showed good applicability. Fifty-five patients, who were older and cognitively more impaired, proved unable to complete the Trail Making Test part B, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, and the Stroop test, and were excluded from the analysis. Among the remaining patients, Mini-Mental State Examination proved largely normal, while Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, Symbol digit modalities test, and Trail Making Test part B were most frequently abnormal. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the 4-factor theoretical model to empirical data. Praxis domain resulted in the highest percentage of abnormal performance (65%), followed by Memory and Attention/EF domains (19% and 15%), and Language (8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our battery proved to be comprehensive, robust, and applicable. Attention-executive dysfunction and impaired memory and visuo-constructional abilities, were the prominent features. The assessment of the Consensus Conference, that included Trial Making Test, looks poorly applicable to older and cognitively impaired patients.
authors.affiliation: NEUROFARBA Department, Neuroscience Section, University of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.affiliation: NEUROFARBA Department, Neuroscience Section, University of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poggesi
authors.affiliation: NEUROFARBA Department, Neuroscience Section, University of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pracucci
authors.affiliation: NEUROFARBA Department, Neuroscience Section, University of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inzitari
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit and Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pantoni
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Cognitive assessment; confirmatory factor analysis; neuropsychology; psychometric properties; small vessel disease; subcortical ischemic vascular disease