The remote administration of the uniform data set neuropsychological test battery (I-UDSNB) Italian version: normative data

Abstract

The availability of remotely administered neuropsychological batteries is crucial to provide access to care in extraordinary situations, e.g., the recent pandemic, and for individuals with reduced mobility. Here we present the normative data of the remotely administered version of the Italian Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological Battery (tele-I-UDSNB), developed by our group. I-UDSNB included Craft Story, Benson Figure, Digit Span, Semantic and Phonemic Fluency, Trail Making Test A and B, Picture Naming, and the Five Words Test, which were adapted to be administered via web-based communication software. The tele-I-UDSNB was administered to 157 healthy participants who also underwent the face-to-face version of the battery. Regression models were used to evaluate the impact of demographic variables on performance and to obtain reference norms. The effect of modality and order of administration was assessed by factorial ANOVAs. Age predicted the performances on most of the tests, whereas education was associated with performance on Craft Story, Benson Figure, Digit Span, Semantic and Phonemic Fluency, and Trail Making Test. Sex affected some subscores of Semantic Fluency and Digit Span. The modality of administration showed little influence on the performance, limited to scores related to Semantic Fluency. The tele-I-UDSNB could be a useful tool for tele-neuropsychological assessment, with the modality of administration only showing a limited effect on some sub-scores.

Keywords: Neuropsychological tests; Remote administration; UDS.