FAQ: Neurological & Psychological Conditions

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Alzheimer's disease slowly causes brain cells to die over many years or even decades . To identify Alzheimer's disease in its early stage, subtle changes in memory and cognition need to be identified. These early changes are not always noticed by family members or friends; however the patient often feels something is off.  Neuropsychological testing can help identify these early signs of dementia and the best way to do this is to compare your performance over time.

To learn more about Alzheimer's disease, see Dr. Seichepine's TEDx talk here.

Anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, is associated with changes in attention and working memory.  With these changes it is common to be more forgetful. A neuropsychological evaluation can be used to diagnose mental conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder, and describe how these conditions impact cognition. 

Problems with attention can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as anxiety, depression or trauma. To receive a diagnosis of ADHD other causes of these symptoms need to be ruled out.  One way to do this is to perform a diagnostic interview, such as the SCID-5 (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5), which in addition to testing for ADHD, also tests for a wide variety of other psychological conditions. Additionally, it is also important to obtain information from someone who knew the patient at a young age to verify that symptoms began before 12 years of age. A diagnosis of ADHD can be made with or without cognitive testing.  

Much like the rest of our body, as we age the brain also changes. Starting at about 45-50 years of age the brain starts to slowly decrease in size and this is accompanied by subtle changes in cognition. The ability to quickly process information and hold several pieces of information in mind decreases, while other cognitive abilities, such as vocabulary skills, improve. However, these changes are not the same as those seen in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.  Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if these changes are normal aging, or the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. A neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful in distinguishing between normal age-related changes and a neurodegenerative process. 

Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive neurological disorder.  Though it is commonly associated with movement problems (e.g. tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability), it is also a cognitive disorder. Early in the course of Parkinson's disease there are often changes in executive functioning, such as multi-tasking or mental flexibility.  Unfortunately, as the condition progresses most patients develop dementia.  As with other causes of dementia, a neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful in identifying early stages of cognitive change, which can be beneficial for planning and treatment options.    

For a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, the clinical interview (1-2 hours), neuropsychological assessment (5-7 hours) and feedback (1 hour) sessions take about 7 to 10 hours.  Behind the scenes it takes additional time to review medical records (1 hour), score assessments (3-4 hours) and write the report (2-3 hours).  Total time is about 13 to 18 hours.

For an online Adult ADHD evaluation, the interview and questionnaires take about 2-3 hours to complete.  Behind the scenes it takes an additional couple hours to score the questionnaires and write the report. Total time is about 4 to 5 hours. 

No.  Because insurance is not involved a referral is not needed.

Immediately after completing testing, we go to work scoring the assessments and writing the report. The neuropsychological report is typically completed within 7 days of receiving all necessary information.  

To obtain optimal results, a quiet space without distractions is needed.  Additionally, a small table (usually a kitchen table, or coffee table) is needed to display the testing material.  

Yes, HSA and FSA accounts can be used for both online adult ADHD evaluations and  comprehensive in home neuropsychological evaluations.