NeuroAge - NeuroCognitive Function Test
With the progression of age, certain aspects of your cognitive function begin to decline progressively. While most areas of cognitive function correlate closely with normal brain aging, some abilities are sensitive to age and can begin to decline as early as your mid-twenties. Three domains of cognitive function that are age-sensitive are 'reaction time,' 'psychomotor speed,' and 'processing speed.' Cognitive decline may also not be apparent until your brain works on a difficult / unusual problem like playing a new strategy game or trying to do complex math calculations in your head. The steeper the decline, the greater the chances of developing a neurologic disease early, compared with someone whose decline is more modest.
To assess cognitive function, the patient undergoes the CNS Vital Signs battery of neuropsychological tests, which most find to be quite challenging. These tests involve taxing your mind further than typically done during your daily routine. Through the test, our doctors can screen for conditions such as dementia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is recommended that everyone take these tests periodically. The results are age-adjusted to determine if there is a significant impairment exists.
Neurological tests can be completed in twenty minutes at home (online) or in our office and include various challenging tasks that are deemed a standard of care in the field of neurology and psychology. A decrease in performance on these tests have been linked to the decline in dopamine activity in the frontal lobes of the brain. Our doctors will calculate your “NeuroAge” through a weighted composite of the scores on these tests. The test cannot be failed or “aced.”
