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. 2015 Mar;21(3):231-8.
doi: 10.1017/S1355617715000144. Epub 2015 Mar 20.

An FMRI-compatible Symbol Search task

Spencer W Liebel  1 , Uraina S Clark  2 , Xiaomeng Xu  3 , Hannah H Riskin-Jones  4 , Brittany E Hawkshead  1 , Nicolette F Schwarz  1 , Donald Labbe  4 , Beth A Jerskey  4 , Lawrence H Sweet  1
Affiliations

An FMRI-compatible Symbol Search task

Spencer W Liebel et al. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Our objective was to determine whether a Symbol Search paradigm developed for functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) is a reliable and valid measure of cognitive processing speed (CPS) in healthy older adults. As all older adults are expected to experience cognitive declines due to aging, and CPS is one of the domains most affected by age, establishing a reliable and valid measure of CPS that can be administered inside an MR scanner may prove invaluable in future clinical and research settings. We evaluated the reliability and construct validity of a newly developed FMRI Symbol Search task by comparing participants' performance in and outside of the scanner and to the widely used and standardized Symbol Search subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). A brief battery of neuropsychological measures was also administered to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the FMRI Symbol Search task. The FMRI Symbol Search task demonstrated high test-retest reliability when compared to performance on the same task administered out of the scanner (r=.791; p<.001). The criterion validity of the new task was supported, as it exhibited a strong positive correlation with the WAIS Symbol Search (r=.717; p<.001). Predicted convergent and discriminant validity patterns of the FMRI Symbol Search task were also observed. The FMRI Symbol Search task is a reliable and valid measure of CPS in healthy older adults and exhibits expected sensitivity to the effects of age on CPS performance.

Keywords: Reliability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors do not report any conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sample FMRI Symbol Search and visuomotor control task items. This figure demonstrates how the FMRI Symbol Search task and visuomotor control task were presented to participants, including instructions before task items.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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