title: The validity of the Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (BICS) as a neuropsychological screening assessment for traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (BICS) was developed as an in-service cognitive assessment battery for acquired brain injury patients entering community rehabilitation. The BICS focuses on domains that are particularly compromised following TBI, and provides a broader and more detailed assessment of executive function, attention and information processing than comparable screening assessments. The BICS also includes brief assessments of perception, naming, and construction, which were predicted to be more sensitive to impairments following non-traumatic brain injury. The studies reported here examine preliminary evidence for its validity in post-acute rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Study 1, TBI patients completed the BICS and were compared with matched controls. Patients with focal lesions and matched controls were compared in Study 2. Study 3 examined demographic effects in a sample of normative data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TBI and focal lesion patients obtained significantly lower composite memory, executive function and attention and information processing BICS scores than healthy controls. Injury severity effects were also obtained. Logistic regression analyses indicated that each group of BICS memory, executive function and attention measures reliably differentiated TBI and focal lesion participants from controls. Design Recall, Prospective Memory, Verbal Fluency, and Visual Search test scores showed significant independent regression effects. Other subtest measures showed evidence of sensitivity to brain injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides preliminary evidence of the BICS' sensitivity to cognitive impairment caused by acquired brain injury, and its potential clinical utility as a cognitive screen. Further validation based on a revised version of the BICS and more normative data are required.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Bangor University , Bangor , UK.|b North Wales Brain Injury Service , Colwyn Bay Hospital , Colwyn Bay , UK.
authors.forename: Frances L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.affiliation: c North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme, School of Psychology , Bangor University , Bangor , UK.
authors.forename: Jo Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.affiliation: b North Wales Brain Injury Service , Colwyn Bay Hospital , Colwyn Bay , UK.
authors.forename: Farzana Nizam
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Mulla
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Bangor University , Bangor , UK.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Bangor University , Bangor , UK.|b North Wales Brain Injury Service , Colwyn Bay Hospital , Colwyn Bay , UK.
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coetzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003071:Cognition; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008606:Mental Processes; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010465:Perception; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Traumatic brain injury; acquired brain injury; cognitive screen assessment; cognitive screen normative data; focal cerebral lesion