Abstract |
Suboptimal performance during neuropsychological testing can seriously complicate assessment in behavioral neurotoxicology. We present data on the prevalence of suboptimal performance in a group of Dutch patients with suspected chronic toxic encephalopathy (CTE) after long-term occupational exposure to solvents. One hundred and forty-five subjects referred to one of two Dutch national assessment centers for CTE were administered the Amsterdam Short-Term Memory Test (ASTM) and the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), two tests specifically developed for the detection of suboptimal performance. For both tests, very cautious cut-off scores were chosen with a specificity of 99%. Results indicated that suboptimal performance appears to be a substantial problem in this group of patients with suspected CTE after long-term exposure to organic solvents. Only 54% of our subjects obtained normal scores on both tests of malingering, i.e. at or above cut-off score. The two tests seemed to measure the same concept in that nearly all the subjects with low TOMM scores also had low ASTM scores. However, a higher proportion of subjects scored below the cut-off on the ASTM than on the TOMM.
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Authors | Moniek S E van Hout, Ben Schmand, Ellie M Wekking, Gerard Hageman, Betto G Deelman |
Journal | Neurotoxicology
(Neurotoxicology)
Vol. 24
Issue 4-5
Pg. 547-51
(Aug 2003)
ISSN: 0161-813X [Print] Netherlands |
PMID | 12900068
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Neuropsychological Tests
(statistics & numerical data)
- Neurotoxicity Syndromes
(diagnosis, psychology)
- Occupational Exposure
(statistics & numerical data)
- Reproducibility of Results
- Solvents
(toxicity)
- Statistics, Nonparametric
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