Neuropsychological Assessment in Litigation
Neuropsychological testing fills the gap between traditional neurological and psychiatric exams by providing a comprehensive and standardized examination of cortical functions. Disruption of cortical functions, particularly higher cortical functions, is often the only indication of brain dysfunction. This sensitivity, makes neuropsychological testing a very valuable tool for the attorney who needs to show, quantify and document evidence of brain pathology; or alternatively, demonstrate normal brain functioning.
Neuropsychological assessment
is also commonly employed to help determine if patients are malingering or embellishing their cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Over the last decade, the detection of malingering of cognitive dysfunction using neuropsychological tests has received more research and development than any other area of the neuropsychological examination.
What is neuropsychological testing?
Cortical functions regulate emotions and behaviors and are responsible for cognition. Neuropsychological testing is the only standardized method for assessing cortical functions. How is a neuropsychological exam different from a neurological exam?
The neuropsychological exam, sometimes referred to as cortical or cognitive testing, typically picks up where the neurological exam ends. Although there is some overlap between the two exams, the emphasis of the neuropsychological evaluation is on cortical systems such as attention, language, learning and memory as well as executive system functions.
How is a neuropsychological exam different from a psychiatric exam?
A psychiatric exam is needed to diagnosis psychiatric disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Schizophrenia and is not intended to diagnosis neurocognitive and neurobehavioral syndromes such as Dysbulia, Dysexecutive Syndromes or Apraxia. Because psychiatric disorders, such as Major Depression, can also affect brain functions, a psychiatric exam is built into every neuropsychological evaluation.
How is a neuropsychological exam different from neuroimaging studies?
Neuroimaging studies such as CT and MRI scans of the brain are structural tests providing information about the integrity of the brain based on an assessment of brain tissue as oppose to brain functionality. Given this difference, neuroimaging tests results are very helpful and are incorporated by the clinical neuropsychologists to help interpret neuropsychological test results and aide in making a central nervous system (CNS) related diagnosis.
Why refer your clients for neuropsychological assessment at NRI?
Experience and expertise. Our clinical neuropsychologists have an average of 15 years of post-residency experience completing competency to stand trial and forensic neuropsychological examinations. Often our neuropsychological test results and testimony have been the critical data relied upon to successfully settle several hundred litigation cases.
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Forensic Neuropsychological Services
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Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations
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Differential Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Diagnostic Exams
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Consulting, Record Review and Report Writing
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Independent Neuropsychological Exam
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