title: Word Memory Test Performance Across Cognitive Domains, Psychiatric Presentations, and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study addressed two aims: (i) determine how Word Memory Test (WMT) performance relates to test performance across numerous cognitive domains and (ii) evaluate how current psychiatric disorders or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history affects performance on the WMT after excluding participants with poor symptom validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 235 Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans (Mage = 35.5) who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Participants were divided into two groups based on WMT performance (Pass = 193, Fail = 42). Tests were grouped into cognitive domains and an average z-score was calculated for each domain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were found between those who passed and those who failed the WMT on the memory, attention, executive function, and motor output domain z-scores. WMT failure was associated with a larger performance decrement in the memory domain than the sensation or visuospatial-construction domains. Participants with a current psychiatric diagnosis or mTBI history were significantly more likely to fail the WMT, even after removing participants with poor symptom validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that the WMT is most appropriate for assessing validity in the domains of attention, executive function, motor output and memory, with little relationship to performance in domains of sensation or visuospatial-construction. Comprehensive cognitive batteries would benefit from inclusion of additional performance validity tests in these domains. Additionally, symptom validity did not explain higher rates of WMT failure in individuals with a current psychiatric diagnosis or mTBI history. Further research is needed to better understand how these conditions may affect WMT performance.
authors.affiliation: Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and Research & Academic Affairs Service Line, W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, NC, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jared A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rowland
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line, W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Holly M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Miskey
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line, W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Brearly
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line, W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Martindale
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line, W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Shura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Assessment; Attention; Performance validity; Post-deployment; Symptom validity; Veterans