Aa
NeuroPsych test...What a day.
Today was the day for my NeuroPsych evaluation testing. It was scheduled for 8AM at the Murfreesboro VA Hospital which meant I would have to get up at 5AM in order to get there on time. I had told my friend Dave that I had to get up at 5AM so what does he do? Calls me up at 4AM to make sure I got up. Oh was I foaming at the mouth mad about that.
Actually I didn't realize the appointment was at Murfreesboro until I was just about to leave so I had to quickly print out direction on how to get there. So I spent 5.5 hours there with all l but about 15 minutes being the testing and then the doctor going over the results with me.
The first hour was an interview type setting where he explained what was going to go on and asking me about the problems I have been having ( memory, vision, OCD stuff, family history, etc). The doctor was real nice and had done his homework in studying my medical charts. He also seemed to be vary knowledgeable about MS.
After about a 5-10 minute break while he set up the stuff for testing me came the real workout. By the time we finished with the tests I could barely focus my eyes and at the end of the last test he said he could have done more tests but could tell I was having trouble with my eyes and getting really burned out.
I forget how many different tests we did, but they cover visual memory, hearing memory, recalling with clues of my memory, Timing the response of each of my hands, Figuring out patterns, etc.
In the end he said my memory was fine once I get things in there, but am very slow at getting them in which is consistent with MS.
He said my right hand was 25% slower than my left even though I am right handed which he expected since I had my brace on my right foot for the foot drop. When I have looked at my MRI pictures I had noticed most of the spots were on the left side of my brain.
I was surprised I did good on the math skills part. They word those word type math problems which he read to me 1 time only. You know the "if you have 3 apples and your friend has 2 apples and you give him one apple how many do each of you have". I missed only two of the questions mostly because I forgot how many where the original amount.
For figuring out complex things I could do it but it took longer than it should have based on my age and background. Again consistent with MS. The brain is just slowed down.
As for the OCD type things I have been experiencing he said there is a component of that happening that could be either anxiety or memory problems, medication, or both. He is going to recommend a review of my medications and talk therapy so that it doesn't get any worse. Since I live so far from th VA hospital he wants to see if he can get something like weekly teleconference therapy and monthly in person therapy.
He was also concerned about my sleep problems and was going to put in for some pain management type stuff to go along with the talk therapy as the OCD stuff is also disturbing my sleep. That sure would be great as I can't remember have even one day free of pain since 1989. I think he said that because I admitted that once last year I was in so much pain and depressed I though of shooting myself in the foot just to get some pain medication.
Speaking of pain about 1 hour before the end of the testing I had another bout of TN start up. Of course I had none of my pain meds with me so by the time I got home I was in agony. I took 2 pain pills immediately;y when I got home so if this is not readable you will have to understand it is the pain meds kicking in. Now I ma going to got to sleep about 20 years as I can hardly keep my eyes open any longer. Besides All that I have written is just a big burr and am just using the spell checker to guess at what I had meant to write. Thank God for the read underlines. :)
Dennis
Actually I didn't realize the appointment was at Murfreesboro until I was just about to leave so I had to quickly print out direction on how to get there. So I spent 5.5 hours there with all l but about 15 minutes being the testing and then the doctor going over the results with me.
The first hour was an interview type setting where he explained what was going to go on and asking me about the problems I have been having ( memory, vision, OCD stuff, family history, etc). The doctor was real nice and had done his homework in studying my medical charts. He also seemed to be vary knowledgeable about MS.
After about a 5-10 minute break while he set up the stuff for testing me came the real workout. By the time we finished with the tests I could barely focus my eyes and at the end of the last test he said he could have done more tests but could tell I was having trouble with my eyes and getting really burned out.
I forget how many different tests we did, but they cover visual memory, hearing memory, recalling with clues of my memory, Timing the response of each of my hands, Figuring out patterns, etc.
In the end he said my memory was fine once I get things in there, but am very slow at getting them in which is consistent with MS.
He said my right hand was 25% slower than my left even though I am right handed which he expected since I had my brace on my right foot for the foot drop. When I have looked at my MRI pictures I had noticed most of the spots were on the left side of my brain.
I was surprised I did good on the math skills part. They word those word type math problems which he read to me 1 time only. You know the "if you have 3 apples and your friend has 2 apples and you give him one apple how many do each of you have". I missed only two of the questions mostly because I forgot how many where the original amount.
For figuring out complex things I could do it but it took longer than it should have based on my age and background. Again consistent with MS. The brain is just slowed down.
As for the OCD type things I have been experiencing he said there is a component of that happening that could be either anxiety or memory problems, medication, or both. He is going to recommend a review of my medications and talk therapy so that it doesn't get any worse. Since I live so far from th VA hospital he wants to see if he can get something like weekly teleconference therapy and monthly in person therapy.
He was also concerned about my sleep problems and was going to put in for some pain management type stuff to go along with the talk therapy as the OCD stuff is also disturbing my sleep. That sure would be great as I can't remember have even one day free of pain since 1989. I think he said that because I admitted that once last year I was in so much pain and depressed I though of shooting myself in the foot just to get some pain medication.
Speaking of pain about 1 hour before the end of the testing I had another bout of TN start up. Of course I had none of my pain meds with me so by the time I got home I was in agony. I took 2 pain pills immediately;y when I got home so if this is not readable you will have to understand it is the pain meds kicking in. Now I ma going to got to sleep about 20 years as I can hardly keep my eyes open any longer. Besides All that I have written is just a big burr and am just using the spell checker to guess at what I had meant to write. Thank God for the read underlines. :)
Dennis
Hey, Dennis, has he given you the results yet? Or are you still waiting on his analysis?
These tests are amazingly comprehensive. I expect you'll get some good information on your deficiencies, and what you can do to strengthen them.
Me, I found that my usual methods (nonexistent!) weren't going to work in memorization. I had to make an effort to remember things - either through categorization or word association.
These tests are amazingly comprehensive. I expect you'll get some good information on your deficiencies, and what you can do to strengthen them.
Me, I found that my usual methods (nonexistent!) weren't going to work in memorization. I had to make an effort to remember things - either through categorization or word association.
No they don
t do a full neuro exam. They are only concerned with thought processes.
I did forget about one other test he did. He gave me two long lists of words that I had to read aloud to him. After reading the lists I kidded the doctor about some of those words must be fake words. Very hard for me to pronounce.
Also with the tests were he timed how long it took me to do the pegs in the holes for the right hand I had to do the pegs like you read words ( left to right) and with the left hand right to left. So again it was about thought processes.
Dennis
t do a full neuro exam. They are only concerned with thought processes.
I did forget about one other test he did. He gave me two long lists of words that I had to read aloud to him. After reading the lists I kidded the doctor about some of those words must be fake words. Very hard for me to pronounce.
Also with the tests were he timed how long it took me to do the pegs in the holes for the right hand I had to do the pegs like you read words ( left to right) and with the left hand right to left. So again it was about thought processes.
Dennis
Denis- Yes thanks for the details!! It really helps to know what they are going to do.
Did they do a full neuro exam with reflex testing and walking ect.?
Sumana- Samer here with my son. When he went to college he finally got the extra help he needed. He is graduating this year and doing very well. It was very frustrating when he was younger however. He was not a "bad" kid but got bored in class because he couldn't learn like the others. I am glad things have progressed in cognitive testing.
Did they do a full neuro exam with reflex testing and walking ect.?
Sumana- Samer here with my son. When he went to college he finally got the extra help he needed. He is graduating this year and doing very well. It was very frustrating when he was younger however. He was not a "bad" kid but got bored in class because he couldn't learn like the others. I am glad things have progressed in cognitive testing.
Dennis, thank you for sharing! I have never had that type of testing but wow! what we could learn about how our brains are working!! I have a son with learning disabilities. It would take him about three times longer to complete tasks at school. Too bad these tests weren't available back then. It would have shown him where some of the problems were...I think an LD kid would have found it useful. You know sometimes he just would feel stupid because his brain didn't operate like others...
It doesn't matter. He beat the odds with a lot of discipline and hard work. He has graduated from college and holds a good job. He was one of the few lucky ones. He had a lot of support. Of course, the LD didn't disappear. He still has issues. I may talk to him about the testing. Even today it may be helpful.
Again, thank you for sharing.
It doesn't matter. He beat the odds with a lot of discipline and hard work. He has graduated from college and holds a good job. He was one of the few lucky ones. He had a lot of support. Of course, the LD didn't disappear. He still has issues. I may talk to him about the testing. Even today it may be helpful.
Again, thank you for sharing.
It is kind of complicated. I was at the exam for 5.5 hours with about 15-20 minutes for breaks in total.
The first part lasted about 1 hour with a kind of interview type setting going over history, symptoms and the like plus the doctor explaining what was going to happen. Basically getting to know you thing so that he can figure out what tests to give you and what your concerns are.
After that there are many different tests that last between 5 and 10 minutes or so. but some like the memory type tests are repeated to some extent all during the total testing period.
For example in the one memory test he slowly read a list of about 15-20 words that you are to memorize. after you try repeating back as many words as you can remember he went on to some other tests and after 10 minutes went back to the list and have you tell him what words you remember again. After that he reads the list 4-5 more times more times and you tell him what you remember after each time. This tests how easily you can get the words to stick in your memory. he then reads you another list of words that you have to tell him what you remember. After that you do more tests and then he come back and asks you to tell him what was one the first list. This is to test how well you can sort your memory according to categories ( first list vs second list ). I actually did switch some of the words for the different lists At other times he will ask you to tell him what were the animals, furniture, etc on the first list. This he also did several times during the total testing time. At another time he would give me 2 words and ask which one was on the first list ( tests how good you are at recalling things if given a clue ).
he also did something similar with a set of 50 pictures. After showing you the 50 pictures he would show you a set of 2 pictures at a time and you had to tell him which of the 2 pictures were in the original 50 pictures. There were about 12 picture I did know which one was right but guess correctly about 50% of the time.
In another test he would show you 6 stick type drawings and then you would have to draw them on a paper in the correct order. he did that about 4 -5 times in order to see how difficult it was for you to remember visual images. Each time I was able to draw more of the images but never was able to get all six of them. The first time through I could only remember 2 of the drawings.
In another test he had these red and white colored blocks that you had to arrange to match patterns you were shown. Each pattern was a little more complex and I slowed down significantly on the more complex patterns in arranging the blocks.
For testing my hand response times there were two tests. The first was a counter you had to press as fast as you could during a certain amount of time. I could click the counter a lot faster with my left hand than I could with the right. The second test consisted of a block with about 25 keyhole shaped holes in it. He then timed how long it took for me to place all of the key like pegs in each of the holes. Again my left did a lot better.
There were also a few tests that you did on a computer.
The first one was a list of about 10 word pairs. The pairs were things like on one side would be "Ice" and the other was "Cream" The computer displayed each of these pairs twice and then you had to pick from another set of 2 words which was the one on the lists they had shown you. This test was to test how well you associate words and I did very good on it.
The second computer test consisted of 4 blocks on top of the screen each with different colors, number of symbols, and type of symbol. It then brought up one at a time other blocks for you to figure out what why to match the new blocks to the 4 on top. ( color, shape, or number of symbols) by if you selected the right or wrong one of the top 4 blocks for the match. This was to test you ability to solve complex problems. The program running this test would switch what it was trying to have you figure out ( color, number, or symbol) every so often. I was very slow to figure out the problem at first but after a while got it.
I probably left out some of the tests but this should give you a good idea of what it was like.
Dennis
The first part lasted about 1 hour with a kind of interview type setting going over history, symptoms and the like plus the doctor explaining what was going to happen. Basically getting to know you thing so that he can figure out what tests to give you and what your concerns are.
After that there are many different tests that last between 5 and 10 minutes or so. but some like the memory type tests are repeated to some extent all during the total testing period.
For example in the one memory test he slowly read a list of about 15-20 words that you are to memorize. after you try repeating back as many words as you can remember he went on to some other tests and after 10 minutes went back to the list and have you tell him what words you remember again. After that he reads the list 4-5 more times more times and you tell him what you remember after each time. This tests how easily you can get the words to stick in your memory. he then reads you another list of words that you have to tell him what you remember. After that you do more tests and then he come back and asks you to tell him what was one the first list. This is to test how well you can sort your memory according to categories ( first list vs second list ). I actually did switch some of the words for the different lists At other times he will ask you to tell him what were the animals, furniture, etc on the first list. This he also did several times during the total testing time. At another time he would give me 2 words and ask which one was on the first list ( tests how good you are at recalling things if given a clue ).
he also did something similar with a set of 50 pictures. After showing you the 50 pictures he would show you a set of 2 pictures at a time and you had to tell him which of the 2 pictures were in the original 50 pictures. There were about 12 picture I did know which one was right but guess correctly about 50% of the time.
In another test he would show you 6 stick type drawings and then you would have to draw them on a paper in the correct order. he did that about 4 -5 times in order to see how difficult it was for you to remember visual images. Each time I was able to draw more of the images but never was able to get all six of them. The first time through I could only remember 2 of the drawings.
In another test he had these red and white colored blocks that you had to arrange to match patterns you were shown. Each pattern was a little more complex and I slowed down significantly on the more complex patterns in arranging the blocks.
For testing my hand response times there were two tests. The first was a counter you had to press as fast as you could during a certain amount of time. I could click the counter a lot faster with my left hand than I could with the right. The second test consisted of a block with about 25 keyhole shaped holes in it. He then timed how long it took for me to place all of the key like pegs in each of the holes. Again my left did a lot better.
There were also a few tests that you did on a computer.
The first one was a list of about 10 word pairs. The pairs were things like on one side would be "Ice" and the other was "Cream" The computer displayed each of these pairs twice and then you had to pick from another set of 2 words which was the one on the lists they had shown you. This test was to test how well you associate words and I did very good on it.
The second computer test consisted of 4 blocks on top of the screen each with different colors, number of symbols, and type of symbol. It then brought up one at a time other blocks for you to figure out what why to match the new blocks to the 4 on top. ( color, shape, or number of symbols) by if you selected the right or wrong one of the top 4 blocks for the match. This was to test you ability to solve complex problems. The program running this test would switch what it was trying to have you figure out ( color, number, or symbol) every so often. I was very slow to figure out the problem at first but after a while got it.
I probably left out some of the tests but this should give you a good idea of what it was like.
Dennis
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Multiple Sclerosis Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Australia
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
