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Review
. 2017 Jan 30;2(1):CNC31.
doi: 10.2217/cnc-2016-0021. eCollection 2017 Mar.

A review of the validity of computerized neurocognitive assessment tools in mild traumatic brain injury assessment

Jacques P Arrieux  1   2   1   2 , Wesley R Cole  1   2   1   2 , Angelica P Ahrens  1   2   1   2
Affiliations
Review

A review of the validity of computerized neurocognitive assessment tools in mild traumatic brain injury assessment

Jacques P Arrieux et al. Concussion. .

Abstract

Computerized neurocognitive assessment tools (NCATs) offer potential advantages over traditional neuropsychological tests in postconcussion assessments. However, their psychometric properties and clinical utility are still questionable. The body of research regarding the validity and clinical utility of NCATs suggests some support for aspects of validity (e.g., convergent validity) and some ability to distinguish between concussed individuals and controls, though there are still questions regarding the validity of these tests and their clinical utility, especially outside of the acute injury timeframe. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary of the existing validity literature for four commonly used and studied NCATs (automated neuropsychological assessment metrics, CNS vital signs, cogstate and immediate post-concussion and cognitive testing) and lay the groundwork for future investigations.

Keywords: computerized cognitive testing; computerized neurocognitive assessment tools; computerized neurocognitive test; literature review; neuropsychological assessment; psychometric; validity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure This material is published by permission of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, operated by General Dynamics Information Technology for the US Defense Health Agency under Contract No. W91YTZ-13-C-0015. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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