Adriana, Cantab is a very good tool. As you know, in Neurocognive Laboratory in Torun it has been used for many years. Which module you want to use? What is the issue of your research?

Best

Tomasz

Thank you for your answer, Sir.

I was thinking about the Research one, focused on general cognitive functions.

I am going to test people suffering from  sleep disorders.

Kind regards,

Adriana

Dear Adriana! Please evaluate some other opinions. Vladimir

CANTAB is a very usefull tool for general cognition evaluation and very well acepted by patients. 

CANTAB would be an efficient tool for your tesis.

CANTAB is a great test battery, and well accepted by those not used to computers (older cohorts). People with sleep disorders often have difficulty concentrating, especially being "vigilant", i.e., concentrate over a relatively long duration.The CANTAB has a sustained attention task, which I would expect to be especially difficult for these patients.

We used CANTAB for several years. We saw pros and cons. The pros were a wide range of tasks and when they worked, the system was pretty slick. I really like the reporting function although it took a few minutes to figure it out; it wasnt logical unless you were thinking like a programmer. The downside: some tasks would freeze in mid task and that was a recurring problem. The freeze would sometimes trash that participants file. THe help desk was...not helpful. Let me say that w e bought a turn key system from them; a laptop and the software and we installed no other apps on this system. After a lot of back and forth, they admitted to us that their system would never be failsafe on the hardware they sold us and so they suggested that the solution was to buy an all new system. Our response was to punt. I would say that they were very pleasant and tried to be helpful but for the licensing cost (not small) we felt we were 60%? 7-% satisfied. 

I was thinking of this from the reverse direction, so to speak--especially since you mentioned you would be studying those with sleep disorders. First, I considered what one would want to be sure to include in such a situation--to be sure I had not accidentally already fenced out parameters that may be of interest. For example in sleep apnea,  the neurocognitive changes include test changes in sustained attention,

psychomotor speed, working memory, novel problem solving, inhibitory control, and verbal fluency but much less alteration in delayed recall and processing speed. In Narcolepsy you would want to be sure the test included cognitive assessment of vigilance, attention, and memory. RLS and PLMD--for reasons less clear (to me anyway!!) impact straight executive function. Straight sleep deprivation has some global impact on executive function like former but much LARGER impact on attention, vigilance, processing speed (slows reaction times), and working memory, and sometimes  ( depends on subjects resiliency ) altered short-term memory, verbal fluency, language , (as mentioned executive functioning.. Sleep latency insomnia generally tests out as more "higher cognitive test" struggles. Some of this comes from that big WHO study and then lots of the many, many other that I am sure you have seen. Suppose you wanted to distinguish Sleep deprivation VERSUS RLS --for example? Then it might be wise to first sweep "What neurocognitive tests cover what I am looking for? " (Sorry, I guess that part is obvious... In sleep, one generally includes testing for 

It seems a daunting subject. How do you control for MDD? 40% of MDD patients were are so significantly cognitively impaired, performing at the 2nd percentile of control subjects. Doing people over 50? Keeping out those depressed? Those diagnosed with depression, whether or not medicated have poor cognitive function at about level of schizophrenia but better than Alzheimer's . Hard info! And, will you rule out silent sleep apnea with oxygen saturation one night? Suppose that person's cognitive findings were NOT due to sleep deprivation but to low oxygen also at night? And, now getting down to smaller items: Suppose an older woman took Vitamin E and exercised so she had more resilient result in neurocognitive testing? It seems so hard to think out a good way to gather data and I admire the work that goes into it! Anyway, hope this is helpful and not annoying.  It would be nice to know what you FIRST included in your list of POSSIBLE neurocognitive computer tests and HOW you selected IN CANTAB and OUT, for example CDR.CDR systems have been around for 30 years and are likely the biggest competition to consider. Below, I include a  prejudiced article by a former Brackett employee. CDR systems were found to be more user friendly and I guess it would matter would this data need to transcend into ever the elderly or slightly demented or cognitively impaired?   Hope this is at all helpful and not just so annoying!!  

#1 Below:   " Moving beyond the pros and cons of automating cognitive testing in pathological aging and dementia: the case for equal opportunity"  Describes cognitively impaired older adults difficulty using CANTAB VS success with CDR

CANTAB I think, historically was created for cognitive assessment in older adults and mildly impaired elderly though, of course widely used now. But--with that in mind--the review below finding fault with it (in cognitively impaired adults --though written by a Brackett employee as already noted and NOT as great test otherwise) 

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#2 Here and linked below the mentioned WHO/ Univer Oregon ""Paper Test" Sleep/ Older adult" with some useful baseline sleep references and pre computer test ideas.

Theresa E. Gildner, M.S.1; Melissa A. Liebert, M.S.1; Paul Kowal, Pharm.D.2,3; Somnath Chatterji, M.D.2; J. Josh Snodgrass, Ph.D.1

1Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR; 2World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; 3University of Newcastle Research Centre on Gender, Health, and Ageing, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

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_#3 NASA has to develop a computer program to assess sleep and fatigue and who knows it may give you any ideas! MAYBE IT IS FREE!

"Individualized Real-Time Neurocognitive Assessment Toolkit for Space Flight Fatigue (Cognition) is a battery of tests that measure how spaceflight-related physical changes, such as microgravity and lack of sleep, can affect cognitive performance. Cognition includes ten brief computerized tests that cover a wide range of cognitive functions, and provides immediate feedback on current and past test results. The software allows for real-time measurement of cognitive performance while in space.

Earth Applications

Cognition includes a wide range of computerized cognitive tests, which could be used in a variety of situations on Earth. The tests could determine whether fatigue or other stress factors are compromising a person’s ability to think and act clearly. The tests are brief and can be completed on a computer in virtually any setting."

Cognition Test Battery Description

The Cognition battery is a 20-30 minute computerized test battery of cognitive tests. Besides a sleep questionnaire and brief subjective evaluations at the beginning, Cognition contains the following 10 tests (each test is mentioned with the primary cognitive domains covered):

Motor Praxis (MPraxis): Sensory-motor ability

Visual Object Learning (VOLT): Visual object learning and memory

Fractal 2-Back (F2B): Attention and working memory

Abstract Matching Task (AMT): Abstraction

Line Orientation (LOT): Spatial orientation

Emotion Recognition (ER): Emotion recognition

Matrix Reasoning (MRsT): Abstract reasoning

Digit Symbol Substitution (DSST): Complex scanning, visual tracking, attention

Balloon Analog Risk (BART): Risk decision making

Psychomotor Vigilance (PVT): Vigilant attention and psychomotor speed.

See Link 5 Below

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#4Even though you are using computer program, many nice paper results out there especially in Australia and Finland. WHY FINLAND!? 

Even though you are using computer program, many nice paper results out there especially in Australia and Finland. WHY FINLAND!? 

Also, backing up and reassessing parameters of what is normal before assessing pathology:  I put these references separately for that reason: 

Self-reported sleep duration and cognitive functioning in the general population.

Kronholm E, Sallinen M, Suutama T, Sulkava R, Era P, Partonen T.

J Sleep Res. 2009 Dec; 18(4):436-46. Epub 2009 Aug 31.

Usual sleep duration and cognitive function in older adults in Spain.

Faubel R, López-García E, Guallar-Castillón P, Graciani A, Banegas JR, Rodríguez-Artalejo F.

J Sleep Res. 2009 Dec; 18(4):427-35. Epub 2009 Aug 19.

The Social Patterning of Sleep in African Americans: Associations of Socioeconomic Position and Neighborhood Characteristics with Sleep in the Jackson Heart Study.

Johnson DA, Lisabeth L, Hickson D, Johnson-Lawrence V, Samdarshi T, Taylor H, Diez Roux AV.

Sleep. 2016 Sep 1; 39(9):1749-59. Epub 2016 Sep 1.

Trends in self-reported sleep duration and insomnia-related symptoms in Finland from 1972 to 2005: a comparative review and re-analysis of Finnish population samples.

Kronholm E, Partonen T, Laatikainen T, Peltonen M, Härmä M, Hublin C, Kaprio J, Aro AR, Partinen M, Fogelholm M, et al.

J Sleep Res. 2008 Mar; 17(1):54-62.

____________

# 5 : 

If any interest, this provides some alternative tests,  though may not have enough validation.

 Reliability and validity of a computerized neurocognitive

test battery, CNS Vital Signs

C. Thomas Gualtieri a,∗, Lynda G Johnson b

a Department of Neuropsychiatry, North Carolina Neuropsychiatry Clinics, 400 Franklin Square, 1829 East Franklin Street,

Chapel Hill NC 2751, United States b Department of Neuropsychology, North Carolina Neuropsychiatry Clinics, Chapel Hill NC 2751, United States

Accepted 31 May 2006

#5 Oliveira MO, Brucki SMD. Computerized Neurocognitive Test (CNT) in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Dement. Neuropsychol. 2014;8(2):112-116

The aim of this review was to compare the features of the computerized neuropsychological batteries used in most studies involving the cognitively impaired over the last 10 years, in order to verify which are most suitable for use in clinical practice within an outpatient clinic.

This study reviewed CogState.7, CNS Vital Signs (VS), Cognitive Drug Research Computerized Assessment System (COGDRAS), Mindstreams (Neurotrax), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Test)

"A review article about advances in design for AD in clinical trials compared the most widely used tests, namely, Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM),31 Computer Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment (CAMCI),32 CANS-MCI,33 CANTAB,34,35 CNSVS, Cognitive Drug Research (CDR/COGDRAS), CogState, Cognitive Skills Index (CSI),36 MicroCog and Mindstreams (Neurotrax). Strengths and weaknesses were detected for all tests, but the authors were emphatic in affirming that computerized assessment offers several advantages over pen-and-paper tests, in that they have a high degree of standardization in administration and scoring and can measure reaction time accurately."

References: 

Reliability and validity of the NeuroCognitive Performance Test, a web-based neuropsychological assessment.

Morrison GE, Simone CM, Ng NF, Hardy JL.

Front Psychol. 2015 Nov 3; 6:1652. Epub 2015 Nov 3.

Kane RL, Kay GG. Computerized assessment in neuropsychology: A review of tests and test batteries. Neuropsychol Rev. 1992;3:1–117. 

 Gur RC, Ragland JD, Moberg PJ, et al. Computerized neurocognitive scanning: I. Methodology and validation in healthy people. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2001;25:766–76. 

Robbins TW, James M, Owen AM, et al. A study of performance on tests from the CANTAB battery sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction in a large sample of normal volunteers: Implications for theories of executive functioning and cognitive aging.Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 1998;4:474–90

Wesnes K. Assessing cognitive function in clinical trials: Latest developments and future directions. Drug Discovery Today. 2002;7:29–35.

Gualtieri CT, Johson LG. Reability and validity of a computerized neurocognitive test battery, CNS Vital Signs. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2006;21:623-643.

 Elwood RW. MicroCog: assessment of cognitive functioning. Neuropsychol Rev 2001;11:89-100.

 Martin TA. Ethical challenges with the use of information technology and telecommunications in neuropsychology. In: Bush S. A casebook of ethical challenges in neuropsychology. London and New York: Taylor & Francis, 2005.

 CogState. The global leader in assessing, monitoring and improving cognition. Acessed on: http://cogstate.com/academic/#.Uvef32JdWSo

 Gualtieri T, Computerized Neurocognitive Testing and its Potential for Modern Psychiatry. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2004;1:29-36.

 Gualtieri CT, Johnson LG. Reliability and validity of a computerized neurocognitive test battery, CNS Vital Signs. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2006;21:623-43.

Best Marybeth Lambe MD FAAFP

https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-014-0058-1

http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=29504

https://www.schoolhealth.com/media/pdf/91279_cnsvs_reliability.pdf

http://www.demneuropsy.com.br/detalhe_artigo.asp?id=450

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1256.html#publications

We have used CANTAB battery in our laboratory for several years. It is a useful tool for neurocognitive studies and has different tests for different domains of cognitive functions including executive functions, visual memory, attention, decision making, ...

I want to use CABTAB for my master’s thesis about pilots ?

which tests would be more related to assess pilot cognitive functions?

Does any body have its report interpretation(CANTAB report interpretation)?

thsnks,

Hi Kiumars: I wold think measures of working memory, memory span, divided attention and or selective attention visual and possibly auditory would work for you.