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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Psychometric Characteristics of the Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA), part one: an initial examination of psychometric properties.

Pediatric occupational therapists have a unique opportunity to foster self-determination by involving young clients in assessment and intervention planning. Self-assessment is an appropriate way to support client-centered practice and self-determination. This study is the first in a series of two studies that examined the psychometric properties of the Child Occupational Self Assessment (COSA), a self-report tool based on the Model of Human Occupation. The COSA comprises 24 statements, which the child rates in terms of personal competence and importance. The Rasch Rating Scale Model was used to evaluate the measurement properties of the Competence and Values scales that result from these self-ratings. Analysis indicated that the items worked well together to constitute measures of occupational competence and values. However, the instrument was not sufficiently sensitive to discriminate among respondents. Future recommendations are made to expand the rating scales in order to increase client discrimination so that the COSA can also be used as an outcome assessment. The results provide initial evidence that the COSA can be used as meaningful and reliable client directed assessment tool.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Psychometric characteristics of the child occupational self-assessment (COSA), part two: refining the psychometric properties.

Self-assessment is an appropriate way to support client-centered practice and promote personal development in young occupational therapy clients. This study, the second study in a series of two, sought to refine the psychometric properties based on previous analysis of the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA), a self-report tool based on the Model of Human Occupation. The COSA comprises 24 statements, which the child rates in terms of personal competence and importance. The Rasch Rating Scale Model was used to evaluate the measurement properties of the Competence and Values scales that result from these self-ratings. The original three-point rating scale was expanded to four response categories in this study, which resulted in improved reliability and sensitivity. In this second study, the items once again coalesced to form measures of competence and values, and the order of items from less to more competence and value was similar to that in the first study, supporting the internal validity of the COSA scales. The results provide evidence that the COSA can be used as meaningful and reliable client-directed assessment tool as well as an outcome measure.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

P300 latency for the diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy: evidence that spectral EEG analysis and psychometric tests are enough.

BACKGROUND: No gold standard exists to detect minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Event-related evoked potentials (P300 latency) were proposed as the best tool to assess this condition. EEG spectral analysis and psychometric evaluation are also used to assess minimal hepatic encephalopathy. AIMS: The present study aims at comparing these three techniques. PATIENTS: Eighty-six cirrhotic patients without overt hepatic encephalopathy were studied. METHODS: Patients underwent EEG spectral analysis, psychometric evaluation and P300. P300 latency was age-adjusted; psychometric tests were age- and education-adjusted. Values >2Z were considered to be altered. The alteration of at least two psychometric tests was considered for cognitive impairment. RESULTS: At least one of the three indexes was altered in 61% (CI95% = 49-71) patients; EEG spectral analysis was altered in 41% (CI95% = 30-52%) patients, psychometric performance in 34% (CI95% = 24-45%) and P300 latency in 13% (CI95% = 7-22%). P300 latency was altered only in the patients having EEG spectral analysis or psychometric alterations, but for two cases. Psychometric performance and EEG spectral analysis, but not P300 latency, were correlated with indexes of liver function. CONCLUSIONS: P300 latency provided little additional information and was less related to liver function than EEG spectral analysis and psychometrical investigation.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Psychometric functions and temporal integration in electric hearing.

Temporal-integration functions and psychometric functions for detection were obtained in eight users of the Nucleus 22-electrode cochlear implant. Stimuli were 100-Hz, 200-microseconds/phase trains of biphasic pulses with durations ranging from 0.44 to 630.4 ms (1 to 64 pulses). Temporal-integration functions were measured for 21 electrodes. Slopes of these functions were considerably shallower than the 2.5 dB/doubling slopes typically observed in acoustic hearing. They varied widely across subjects and for different electrodes in a given subject, ranging from 0.06 to 1.94 dB/doubling of stimulus pulses, with a mean [standard deviation (s.d.)] value of 0.42 (0.38). Psychometric functions were measured for 11 of the same 21 electrodes. Slopes of psychometric functions also varied across subjects and electrodes, and were 2-20 times steeper than those reported by other investigators for normal-hearing and cochlear-impaired acoustic listeners. Slopes of individual psychometric functions for 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-pulse stimuli ranged from 0.20 to 1.84 log d'/dB with a mean (s.d.) value of 0.77 (0.45). Psychometric-function slopes did not vary systematically with stimulus duration in most cases. A clear inverse relation between slopes of psychometric functions and slopes of temporal-integration functions was observed. This relation was reasonably well described by a hyperbolic function predicted by the multiple-looks model of temporal integration [Viemeister and Wakefield, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 90, 858-865 (1991)]. Psychometric-function slopes tended to increase with absolute threshold and were inversely correlated with dynamic range, suggesting that observed differences in psychometric-function slopes across subjects and electrodes may reflect underlying differences in neural survival.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Diagnostic tools for the detection of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy: comparison of standard and computerized psychometric tests with spectral-EEG.

UNLABELLED: The prevalence of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy (SHE) varies according to the diagnostic tool used in its detection. Since a standardised approach to the diagnosis of SHE is not yet available, we compared psychometric tests and EEG spectral analysis. On the same day 32 cirrhotic patients without overt hepatic encephalopathy and 18 controls were assessed by psychometric tests, both standard and computerized (CPT), and by EEG spectral analysis (EEG-SA). The CPT, measuring reaction time (Rt) and errors (er), were Font, Choice1, Choice2 and Scan test. The standard psychometric tests were the number connection test (NCT), the Reitan-B test, the Line Tracing Test [for time: LTT(t) and for errors: LTT(er)], and the Symbol Digit test (SD). Both psychometric tests [Reitan-B test, LTT(er) and CPT but Font (Rt) and Choice2 (er)] and EEG-SA parameters [mean dominant frequency (MDF) and theta power (theta %)] significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with albumin plasma levels. LTT(er), Scan, Font, Choice1 and Choice2 were significantly related to theta % and MDF. There was no control with positive EEG-SA, though one control was positive with LTT(t) and with the number of errors made during Font and Scan tests. The percentage of cirrhotics with positive EEG-SA was 34% (CI95% = 19-53), while 9-66% were positive with psychometric tests, depending on the test considered. In spite of the correlation between neuropsychological and neurophysiological parameters, the diagnostic agreement between EEG-SA and each psychometric test was not high. IN CONCLUSION: 1) neurophysiological and neuropsychological impairment in cirrhotics without overt hepatic encephalopathy were found linked to each other and to hepatic dysfunction; 2) psychometric tests were not sufficiently good predictors of EEG alterations; therefore, neuropsychological tools can not substitute neurophysiological ones to detect CNS dysfunction in liver disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Psychometric high-risk paradigm, perceptual aberrations, and schizotypy: an update.

The psychometric high-risk strategy represents a useful methodologic adjunct to the traditional genetic high-risk research approach in the study of the etiology and development of schizophrenia. During the past 15 years, considerable research activity has focused on psychometrically identified individuals hypothesized to be en route to schizophrenia (i.e., putative schizotypes). The Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS) has figured prominently in such prediction-oriented psychometric high-risk work. This report examines research using the PAS completed since 1987 that has established the instrument as a valid index for detecting liability for schizophrenia (or schizotypy) and as, arguably, the schizotypy index of choice for research. These results are presented and interpreted in light of Meehl's theoretical framework of schizotypy. Other measures of and assessment devices for schizotypy (schizophrenia-related liability) are identified. Of these other measures, the Chapmans' Magical Ideation Scale and the schizophrenia liability index of Moldin and colleagues are particularly well established. Methodologic suggestions for future psychometric high-risk and other work using objective measures of schizotypic psychopathology are offered. It is strongly recommended that future studies of schizotypy (or those in the planning stages, relying on psychometric detection methods use multiple psychometric indices to tap schizotypy or use a psychometric index in association with other promising biobehavioral markers of schizophrenia liability (e.g., sustained attentional deficits, eye movement dysfunction) for maximum efficiency in both location and definition of schizotypes.

Body Image↗
PubMed1999

Helicobacter pylori infection, plasma ammonia levels, and psychometric testing in cirrhotic patients.

OBJECTIVE: The role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection as a cause of hepatic encephalopathy is still debated. This study focused on the relationship between H. pylori, plasma ammonia levels, and intellectual function in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Forty-seven cirrhotics with latent or mild hepatic encephalopathy were enrolled in the study, upon H. pylori assessment at endoscopy. Plasma ammonia level determinations and psychometric testing were performed at entry in all patients. Patients with H. pylori infection received a 2-wk standard dual therapy and bacterial eradication was assessed at endoscopy 6-8 wk later. On this occasion, plasma ammonia levels and psychometric assessments were repeated. Patients without H. pylori infection at entry were also studied after 6-8 wk for ammonia level assessment and psychometric testing, as a control group. Patients receiving lactulose therapy and those without therapy were grouped separately for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Among 21 patients without lactulose therapy (group A), basal plasma ammonia levels and psychometric testing scores did not significantly differ between 13 infected and eight uninfected patients. Similarly, among 26 patients undergoing lactulose therapy (group B), basal plasma ammonia concentration and psychometric testing scores did not significantly differ between 13 infected and 13 uninfected patients. Moreover, in group B, both the prevalence of previous overt hepatic encephalopathy episodes and the mean daily dose of lactulose therapy were similar between infected and uninfected patients. In addition, no significant reduction in the plasma ammonia concentrations and in psychometric testing scores emerged in both groups A and B after bacterial eradication. CONCLUSIONS: This study failed to find a relationship between H. pylori, plasma ammonia levels, and psychometric testing scores in cirrhotic patients with latent or mild hepatic encephalopathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Psychometric functions for frequency discrimination from listeners with sensorineural hearing loss.

Psychometric functions for pulsed pure-tone frequency discrimination were obtained from hearing-impaired listeners at frequencies with normal hearing and at frequencies with mild or moderate hearing losses. The general form of psychometric functions at hearing-impaired frequencies was found to be the same as at normal-hearing frequencies, i.e.,d' was linear with the frequency difference between tones, in Hz. For all but one psychometric function, the addition of an intercept term to the fitting equation did not account for significantly more variance than did the slope term alone. Therefore, it was concluded that psychometric functions for frequency discrimination can be adequately described with only one parameter: the slope of the psychometric function. Deficits in discrimination at hearing-loss frequencies were manifested by more gradual slopes of psychometric functions. Procedures for normalizing psychometric functions are presented, which facilitate comparisons of normal and impaired frequency discrimination data across studies and frequencies. Comparisons of dlf's (difference limen for frequency) obtained with adaptive and fixed procedures show a bias toward larger dlf's with adaptive procedures, but only at higher frequencies. A discussion of equal-interval and equal-ratio adaptive stepping rules indicates that an equal-ratio rule may be preferable.

Auditory Threshold↗
PubMed1997

Estimating parameters for psychometric functions using the four-point sampling method.

Although a psychometric function describing a subject's responses to some physical stimuli is of considerable value, characterizing such functions is time consuming and, hence, is not carried out routinely in psychophysical experiments. A principal reason for the lack of efficiency in characterizing a psychometric function is the use of sampling methods that either converge on a single point on the psychometric function, such as the PEST method, or which distribute observations uniformly over a wide range, such as the constant stimuli method. As an alternative, a multimodal four-point sampling method has been proposed [C. F. Lam, J. H. Mills, and J. R. Dubno, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 99, 3689-3693 (1996)]. A psychometric function is then fitted to the four points (each with several trials) to estimate the threshold and slope parameters of the psychometric function. Adaptive methods, such as the up-down methods [H. Levitt, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 49, 467-477 (1971)], can be used to provide good initial estimates of the threshold and spread parameters of a psychometric function described by a logistic function. In ongoing studies of age-related changes in auditory masking and discrimination, this new four-point sampling method has been applied to determine psychometric functions for absolute thresholds as a function of duration, thresholds in simultaneous and forward masking, frequency discrimination, and intensity discrimination in both young and aged human subjects. Results indicate that a reduction in data collection time of about 50% with no increase in variance can be achieved. This increase in efficiency applies to simple detection tasks by normal hearing subjects as well as to complex discrimination tasks by older subjects with hearing loss.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Somatosensory evoked potentials in subclinical portosystemic encephalopathy: a comparison with psychometric tests.

We prospectively studied the role of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and psychometric tests in the assessment of subclinical portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) in 61 cirrhotic patients with grade 0 PSE and 20 controls. Six additional uneducated controls underwent only psychometric tests. Median nerve-evoked cortical responses were recorded for N20-N65 interpeak latencies (IPLs). Psychometric tests were conducted within 4 hours of SEP testing. Seven (26.9%) controls and 30 (49.2%) cirrhotic patients had abnormal psychometric test results (writing sample tests, 20; five-point star tests, 17; number-connection tests, 19; and following-a-track tests, 18); seven controls and 25 cirrhotic patients had 6 or fewer years of education; 7 controls and 28 cirrhotics were older than 50 years of age. Cirrhotic patients (47.6 +/- 8.3 milliseconds) had higher N20-N65 IPLs than controls (40.2 +/- 3.0 milliseconds; P < .001). Twenty-nine (47.5%) cirrhotic patients had abnormal N20-N65 IPLs. Of the 26 cirrhotic patients with more than 6 years of education, 15 (57.7%) had abnormal N20-N65 IPLs and 5 (19.2%) had abnormal psychometric test results (P = .005). Our data show that N20-N65 IPLs of SEPs are helpful in the assessment of subclinical PSE; 47.5% of cirrhotic patients had subclinical PSE. Poorly educated and older subjects tended to have abnormal psychometric test results. SEPs were not affected by education and age and were more sensitive than psychometric tests in the assessment of subclinical PSE in better-educated cirrhotic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The influence of major depression on clinical and psychometric assessment of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.

OBJECTIVE: The performance on standard clinical and psychometric assessments of eight elderly individuals with major unipolar depression alone and seven with depression plus mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type was compared with that of 41 nondepressed subjects suffering from very mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, 66 with mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, and 83 age-matched subjects without senile dementia. METHOD: Subjects with depression alone, depression plus mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, and very mild and mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type met strict inclusionary and exclusionary criteria. A 90-minute semistructured interview, including several brief standardized clinical scales, was used to assign a Clinical Dementia Rating to each subject according to published guidelines, and each subject was given a 2-hour psychometric test battery. Data were analyzed by one-way multivariate analysis of variance to ascertain if there was an effect of group on clinical and psychometric test scores. RESULTS: The eight depressed subjects without concurrent dementia performed as well as the 83 nondepressed subjects without dementia on most clinical measures; however, their performance on most psychometric measures closely resembled that of the 41 nondepressed subjects with very mild dementia. The performance of the seven subjects with depression plus mild dementia was comparable to that of the 66 nondepressed subjects with mild dementia on most clinical and psychometric measures. CONCLUSIONS: Although depressed subjects performed as well as subjects without dementia on many clinical assessments, psychometric testing was not able to distinguish depressed subjects from those with very mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. This demonstrates the need for careful psychiatric evaluation before interpreting deficits on psychometric tests as indicating the presence of very mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Influence of age on clinical and psychometric assessment of subjects with very mild or mild dementia of the Alzheimer type.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of age on performance on clinical and psychometric assessments is examined in groups of nondemented persons and individuals with either very mild or mild dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). DESIGN: Initial clinical and psychometric assessments of persons enrolled in longitudinal studies of DAT and nondemented control subjects. SETTING: Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University, St Louis, Mo. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteer samples of 108 people (44 men, 64 women) with mild DAT, 61 people (30 men, 31 women) with very mild DAT, and 122 healthy nondemented people (45 men, 77 women) were recruited between 1979 and 1991. Age ranged from 54 to 87 years. Persons with confounding medical, neurologic, or psychiatric disorders were excluded. Dementia severity was staged using the Clinical Dementia Rating scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five brief quantitative clinical tests included in the 90-minute clinician administered protocol, as well as 14 tests included in a 2-hour psychometric test battery. RESULTS: Dementia severity affected performance on all measurements. Age did not influence performance on clinical assessments. There was a significant interaction between age and dementia severity on 10 of 14 psychometric measures. In general, older nondemented individuals performed less well than younger nondemented individuals while older mildly demented persons performed about the same as, or slightly better than, their younger counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Age does not affect performance on brief clinical assessment instruments. However, age affects psychometric performance differently in cognitively intact persons when compared with persons with DAT. As a result, psychometric differentiation between cognitively normal and demented individuals is more difficult in older populations.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A quantitative analysis of psychometric functions for different auditory tasks in gerbils.

The psychometric function relates the probability of a correct response to the variation of a physical stimulus parameter. In many perceptual tasks one point on this function is defined by a more or less arbitrary threshold criterion and threshold is used to study the effects of various treatments or age. Besides threshold, the shape of the psychometric function provides additional information. The variability of internal (neural) noise and the sensorineural transduction function will affect the shape of the psychometric function and may, therefore, reveal important features in the processing of stimulus characteristics. Here we analyze the effect of age on psychometric functions from gerbils: (A) for the detection of a tone or noise pulse in silence which is generally regarded as a measure of cochlear function and (B) for a gap detection task, investigating aspects of temporal processing that involve the ascending auditory pathway. Our data show that the slope of the psychometric function for the detection of tone and noise pulses in silence is independent of age and threshold. In contrast, the steepness of the psychometric function is decreased in gerbils with impaired temporal resolution. We discuss these observations in the context of physiological data from young and old animals.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of two psychometric scaling methods for ratings of acute musculoskeletal pain.

Psychometric theory allows interindividual comparisons by scaling differences among subjects with respect to some psychological attribute. The most widely used psychometric scaling method is classical test theory. The properties of classical test theory pain scores are limited to the observed range of pain scores in a given sample, to the specific conditions in a given sample that are the source of pain (e.g. surgery vs. cancer), and to a particular pain survey. The reliability and meaning of classical test theory scores differ for subjects who have higher or lower amounts of pain, have different painful conditions, or are given a different pain survey. Thus, classical test theory pain scores cannot be used to compare dissimilar patient groups or painful conditions, especially if different pain surveys are used. A different psychometric scaling method, item response theory, produces scores with properties that are not limited to an observed score range, specific conditions, or a particular pain survey, and may thus be better for making such comparisons. To compare the two psychometric methods, data were obtained from 335 subjects who rated their clinical pain using 15 words. The psychometric scaling methods were compared using standardized residuals (data fit), standard errors of measurement (score precision), and a graphical plot of predicted scores against scale scores (bias). The item response theory scores demonstrated better data fit and less bias than did the classical test theory scores. In addition to superior psychometric properties, item response theory scores have several other important theoretical and practical advantages.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Psychometric properties of the TSK-11: a shortened version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia.

The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) is one of the most frequently employed measures for assessing pain-related fear in back pain patients. Despite its widespread use, there is relatively little data to support the psychometric properties of the English version of this scale. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the English version of the TSK in a sample of chronic low back pain patients. Item analysis revealed that four items possessed low item total correlations (4, 8, 12, 16) and four items had response trends that deviated from a pattern of normal distribution (4, 9, 12, 14). Consequently, we tested the psychometric properties of a shorter version of the TSK (TSK-11), having excluded the six psychometrically poor items. The psychometric properties of this measure were compared to those of the original TSK. Both measures demonstrated good internal consistency (TSK: alpha=0.76; TSK-11: alpha=0.79), test-retest reliability (TSK: ICC=0.82, SEM=3.16; TSK-11: ICC=0.81, SEM=2.54), responsiveness (TSK: SRM=-1.19; TSK-11: SRM=-1.11), concurrent validity and predictive validity. In respect of specific cut-off scores, a reduction of at least four points on both measures maximised the likelihood of correctly identifying an important reduction in fear of movement. Overall, the TSK-11 possessed similar psychometric properties to the original TSK and offered the advantage of brevity. Further research is warranted to investigate the utility of the new instrument and the cut-off scores in a wider group of chronic pain patients in different clinical settings.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Testing the psychometric properties of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important outcome in patients with heart failure. One of the most commonly used instruments to measure HRQOL in this population is the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (LHFQ). Although the psychometric properties of the LHFQ have been tested, the results do not definitively support the psychometric soundness of the instrument. OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of the LHFQ. METHOD: Data from 638 patients with heart failure were used to assess the reliability, homogeneity, representativeness, discriminative ability, and construct validity of the LHFQ before and after deletion of 5 items that showed lack of representativeness and contributed to inadequate factor structure. RESULTS: Cronbach's alphas for the LHFQ Total and subscales were greater than .80. Interitem correlation coefficients in 17 of the 21 items, item-total correlation coefficients in 20 items, and discriminative ability in all items were acceptable. The total and both subscales of the LHFQ differentiated New York Heart Association functional groups. The Physical subscale was moderately related to the physical measures (the Specific Activity Scale and symptom status), whereas the emotional subscale was weakly related to the measures. The results of item p level testing and factor analysis demonstrated that 7 items were consistently problematic and 5 items were recommended to be deleted. The results of the reliability, homogeneity, and construct validity after deletion of these items demonstrated that the psychometric properties of the LHFQ were improved as a result. DISCUSSION: The initial results provided additional support for the reliability and substantial evidence for the validity of the LHFQ. However, the results of item and factor analyses did not fully support the psychometric soundness of several items. The psychometric properties of the LHFQ after deleting these items were improved. These results could provide researchers and clinicians a more useful measure of HRQOL.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1983

Results of computerized tomography, psychometric testing and dietary studies in social drinkers, with emphasis on reversibility after abstinence.

The frequency of abnormal results of cranial computerized tomography (CT), psychometric testing and dietary studies was established in a prospective study of 39 light-to-moderate drinkers (below 120 g/day) of both sexes. Thirty-one subjects showed some degree of cerebral atrophy on CT scan and, of these, 25 also showed abnormalities on psychometric testing. Psychometric deficits were found in three subjects with a normal CT scan. Cerebral atrophy was reversed in 10 of 11 subjects who abstained from alcohol for between three and 12 months. On re-examination after six months, five of the 11 subjects showed improved performance in most psychometric tests. Sixteen subjects were deficient in some dietary factor and all but one of these had abnormal results of CT scan or psychometric testing. The deficiencies found were in kilojoules (six subjects), iron (five subjects), protein (four subjects), calcium (seven subjects), thiamin (six subjects), and ascorbic acid (one subject). Eight subjects had multiple dietary deficiencies; all but one were women. Four had a low red blood cell level of thiamin, but normal serum levels. This was thought to reflect an impairment in the metabolism of this vitamin due to the effect of alcohol. All four subjects with a low red blood cell thiamin level were found to have cerebral atrophy on CT scan and two had psychometric deficits.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation between a psychometric test and biochemical indices of hepatic encephalopathy in alcoholics.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In alcohol abusers an alteration of responses to psychometric tests has been reported, even when clinical symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are absent. Our research was intended to individualize a simple psychometric test, easy enough to be performed also at the patient's home, able to reveal an impending encephalopathy and, consequently, to facilitate earlier treatment. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-six consecutive male alcoholics were engaged and, after informed consent, the following schedule was applied: administration of a psychometric test, followed by a drawing of blood for the determination of many blood parameters. After 15 days of treatment to detoxicate patients, psychometric tests and blood examinations were repeated. RESULTS: The results confirmed that common blood examinations are not useful to monitor brain damage in chronic alcoholism, that a psychometric test is able to demonstrate a therapeutic improvement and that a positive and significant correlation has been observed between BBCA/AAA ratio and WAIS Score. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that it is possible to suspect dangerous biochemical changes by means of a simple psychometric test.

Adult↗