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Keywords: cognitive impairment dementia neuropsychological assessment screening test a b s t r a c t Background: The Phototest is a brief cognitive test, which is easy to administer and has better diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness for cognitive impairment and dementia than traditional screening tests. This study aims to obtain the normative data of the Phototest for the Portuguese population and to determine the reliability and convergent validity of the test. Methods: The study enrolled a convenience sample consisting of healthy volunteers (n ¼ 130). The normal distribution of the results was tested. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictive variables for the Phototest. Results: Age and educational level were identified as predictive variables by multiple regression analysis, and these accounted for 58% of the variance in the test results. Therefore, the two variables were included in the table with normative data of the Phototest. The Cronbach a of the test is 0.73. The results of the Phototest correlate positively with the results of other tests. Conclusion: The Phototest results are influenced by age and educational level. Our results point to a good reliability and concurrent validity with a more extensive test. The availability of the Phototest normative data for the Portuguese population based on age and educational level enables the use of a brief screening tool for cognitive functioning.

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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders. Cognitive dysfunction is considered a clinical marker of MS, where approximately half of patients with MS have cognitive impairment.Objective:The Phototest (PT) is a brief cognitive test with high diagnostic sensitivity, accuracy and cost-effectiveness for detecting cognitive deterioration. Our aim was to test the utility of the PT as a neurocognitive screening instrument for MS. Methods:The study enrolled 30 patients with different types of MS from an outpatient clinic as well as 19 healthy participants. In conjunction with the PT, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Barthel Index (BI), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were administered. Results:The MS group obtained significantly lower results on all domains of the PT, except for the naming task. The PT showed good concurrent validity with the MoCA. In direct comparison to the MoCA, PT showed a greater area under the curve and higher levels of sensitivity and specificity for MS neurocognitive impairments. A cut-off score of 31 on the Phototest was associated with sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 76.7%. Conclusion : The PT is a valid, specific, sensitive and brief test that is not dependent on motor functions. The instrument could be an option for neurocognitive screening in MS, especially in identifying cases for further neuropsychological assessment and intervention.