Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2007 Jun-Jul;22(3):202–210. doi: 10.1177/1089253206300417

Associations between AQT Processing Speed and Neuropsychological Tests in Neuropsychiatric Patients

Niels Peter Nielsen 1, Roland Ringström 2, Elisabeth H Wiig 3, Lennart Minthon 4
PMCID: PMC10846251  PMID: 17606529

Abstract

Associations between A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) perceptual and cognitive speed and neuropsychological tests, including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Trail Making Test (TMT), were evaluated in 41 neuropsychiatric patients. Neuropsychological and neurological tests, including CT scan, were administered to all of the patients. AQT was also administered to 75 controls. All AQT means differed significantly for patients and controls. Dual-dimension naming time means in the patient group were in the atypical range and indicated generally reduced cognitive speed, whereas controls performed in the normal range. In the patient group, WAIS-III verbal, performance, and full-scale IQ means were in the normal range. AQT perceptual and cognitive speed correlated negatively with WAIS-III P IQ and MMSE scores, and the relationships were nonlinear. The findings support that AQT dual-dimension naming evaluates cognitive speed (i.e., attention, set shifting, working memory) and can be used for first-line or complementary screening for mild or progressive cognitive impairments.

Keywords: AQT, WAIS-III, MMSE, AD, cognitive impairment, cognitive tests, processing speed

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (144.3 KB).

Contributor Information

Niels Peter Nielsen, Department of Psychiatry, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Roland Ringström, Department of Psychiatry, Västervik Regional Hospital, Sweden.

Elisabeth H. Wiig, Knowledge Research Institute, Inc., Arlington, Texas, ehwiig@krii.com .

Lennart Minthon, University Hospital MAS, Malmö and Lund University, Sweden.

References

  1. Wiig EH , Nielsen NP , Minthon L. , Warkentin S. A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT). San Antonio, Tx: : Harcourt Assessment/PsychCorp; 2002. [Google Scholar]
  2. Wiig EH , Nielsen NP , Minthon L. , Warkentin S. AQT: Assessment of parietal function. Svensk Version & Norsk Versjon. Stockholm: Psykologiförlaget AB; ; 2003. [Google Scholar]
  3. Reitan RM , Wolfson D. Category test and trail making test as measures of frontal lobe functions . Clin Neuropsychol. 1995;9: 50-56 . [Google Scholar]
  4. Stroop JR Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions . Psychol Monogr. 1935;50: 38-48 . [Google Scholar]
  5. Salthouse TA The processing speed theory of adult age differences in cognition . Psychol Rev. 1996;103: 403-428 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jacobson JM , Nielsen NP , Minthon L. , Warkentin S. , Wiig EH Multiple rapid automatic naming measures of cognition: Normal performance and effects of aging . Percept Mot Skills. 2004;98: 739-753 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Holtzer R. , Stern Y. , Rakitin BC Predicting age-related dual-task effects with individual differences on neuropsychological tests . Neuropsychologia. 2005;19: 18-27 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Londos E. , Warkentin S. , Minthon L. “ AQT”—a measure of cognitive speed—is a useful tool in the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies . Int Psychogeriatr . 2005;17: 151 . [Google Scholar]
  9. Nielsen NP , Wiig EH , Warkentin S. , Minthon L. Clinical utility of color-form naming in Alzheimer's disease: Preliminary evidence . Percept Mot Skills. 2004;99: 1201-1204 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Vendrell P. , Junque C. , Pujol J. , Jurado MA , Molet J. , Grafman J. The role of prefrontal regions in the Stroop task . Neuropsychologia. 1995;33: 341-352 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Warkentin S. , Tsantali E. , Kiosseoglou G. , et al. (2005. June). The AQT as a useful short screening test for dementia. Evidence from two European cultures . Int Psychogeriatr. 2005;17: 160 . [Google Scholar]
  12. Warkentin S. , Nielsen NP , Erikson C. , Minthon L. , Wiig EH Brain imaging validation of a screening test for cognitive speed . Presented at: Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia, Washington, DC, September 2005. [Google Scholar]
  13. Downing PE Interactions between working memory and selective attention . Psych Sci. 2000;11: 467—473 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. de Fockert JW , Rees G. , Rith CD , Lavie N. The role of working memory in selective visual attention . Science. 2001;291: 1803-1806 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Furey M. , Pietrini P. , Haxby JV Cholinergic enhancement and increased selectivity of perceptual processing during working memory . Science. 2000;290: 2315-2319 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Malapani C. , Pillon B. , Dubois B. , Agid Y. Impaired simultaneous cognitive task performance in Parkinson's disease: A dopamine-related dysfunction . Neurology . 1994;44: 319-326 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McDowell S. , Whyte J. , D'Esposito, M. Working memory impairments in traumatic brain injury: Evidence from a dual-task paradigm . Neuropsychologia. 1997;35: 1341-1353 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tun PA , O'Kane G. , Wingfield A. Distraction by competing speech in younger and older adult listeners . Psych Aging. 2002;17: 453-467 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Nielsen NP , Wiig EH Alzheimer's quick test screening criteria for West African speakers of Krio . Age Ageing, 2006;35: 503-507 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Press; 1994. [Google Scholar]
  21. Who Icd-10. Psykiske lidelser og adfærdsmæssige forstyrrelser: Klassifikation og diagnostiske kriterier (revideret oplag). Copenhagen: , Denmark: Munksgaard; 2003. [Google Scholar]
  22. Petersen RD , Stevens JC , Ganguli M. , Tangalos EG , Cummings JL , DeKosky ST (2001). Practice parameter. Early detection of dementia: Mild cognitive impairment (an evidence review) . Neurology. 2001;56: 1133-1142 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Wechsler D. Wechsler adult intelligence scale — III. Svensk version. Stockholm: , Sweden: Psykologiförlaget AB; ; 2003. [Google Scholar]
  24. Folstein MF , Folstein SE , McHugh PR “ Mini-mental state”: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician . J Psychiat Res, 1975;12: 189-198 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Benton AL , Hamsher K. , Sivan AB Multilingual Aphasia Examination. 3rd ed. Iowa City, Iowa: AJA; ; 1994. [Google Scholar]
  26. Nordgren J. Kliniska normer till Cronholm-Molanders minnesprov. Stockholm: : Psykologiförlaget AB; ; 1978. [Google Scholar]
  27. Meyers JE , Meyers KR Rey complex figure test and recognition trial. Odessa, Fl: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc; .; 1995. [Google Scholar]
  28. Strauss E. , Sherman Ems , Spreen O. A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2006. [Google Scholar]
  29. Kawas C. , Katzman R. Epidemiology of dementia and Alzheimer disease. In: RD Terry, R Katzman , KL Bick, SS Sisodia , eds. Alzheimer disease. New York: Raven Press; ; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  30. Baillon S. , Muhommad S. , Marudkar M. , et al. Neuropsychological performance in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: Comparisons in a memory clinic population. Intl J Geriatr Psychiatr. 2003;18: 602-608 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Posner MI , Walker JA , Friedrich FJ , Rafal RD Effects of parietal injury on covert orienting of attention . J Neurosci. 1984;4: 1863-1874 . [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. McDonald CR , Delis DC , Norman MA , Tecoma ES , Iragui-Madoz VJ Is impairment in set-shifting specific to frontal-lobe dysfunction: Evidence from patients with frontal-lobe or temporal-lobe epilepsy . J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2005;11: 477-481 . [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Stuss DT , Bischop SM , Alexander MP , Levine B. , Katz D. , Izukawa D. The trail making test: A study of focal lesion patients . Psychol Assess. 2001;13: 230-239 . [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Moll J. , de Oliveira-Souza R. , Moll FT , Bramati IE , Andreiuolo PA The cerebral correlates of set shifting: An fMRI study of the trail making test . Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2002;60: 900-905 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Messerli P. , Seron X. , Tissot R. Quelques aspects des troubles de la programmation dans le syndrome frontale . Schweiz Arch Neurol Neurochir Psychiatr . 1979;125: 23-25 . [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Pillon B. Troubles visuo-constructifs et methods de compensation: Resultants de 85 patients atteints de lesions cérébrales . Neuropsychologia. 1981;19: 375-383 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Henry JD , Crawford JR A meta-analytic review of verbal fluency performance following focal cortical lesions . Neuropsychology. 2004;18: 284-295 . [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES