Loss of function in the anterior temporal lobes may lead to the "facilitation" of artistic skills. Patients with the temporal lobe variant of FTD offer a window into creativity.

The relationship between ethnicity and cognitive test performance was examined in a sample of 161 patients referred for evaluation at a public hospital-affiliated neuropsychology clinic; 83 patients were Caucasian (non-Hispanic), 31 were African-American, 30 were Hispanic, and 17 were Asian. Significant group differences were present on some measures of language (Boston Naming Test), attention (Digit Span ACSS), constructional ability (Rey-Osterrieth [RO] copy), nonverbal processing speed (Trails A), and executive skills (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test [WCST]). Comparison of those who spoke English as a first language (or who learned English concurrently with a second language) versus those who spoke English as a second language (ESL) revealed significantly higher performance in the non-ESL group for Digit Span, Boston Naming Test, and FAS, and a higher score in the ESL group for RO copy. Boston Naming Test scores were significantly related to years educated in the United States; Boston Naming Test and Digit Span scores were significantly correlated with age at which conversational English was first learned and number of years in the United States; and finally, FAS scores were also significantly related to number of years in the United States. These findings are consistent with data from published literature on ethnic differences and the effects of acculturation on cognitive test performance in nonpatients, and also indicate that these observations are not attenuated by the presence of psychiatric or neurologic illness. The results further caution that normative data derived on Caucasian samples may not be appropriate for use with other ethnic groups.

We evaluated the Lund-Manchester research criteria (LMRC) for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). With single-photon emission CT, we diagnosed 30 patients with FTD. These patients were compared with 30 with a research diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We scored every patient on each LMRC item and compared the two groups. A discriminant function showed that loss of personal awareness, hyperorality, stereotyped and perseverative behavior, progressive reduction of speech, and preserved spatial orientation differentiated 100% of FTD and AD subjects. Items relating to affect and physical findings were not different in FTD versus AD. Loss of personal awareness, eating, perseverative behavior, and reduction of speech are the LMRC items that most clearly differentiate FTD from AD.

Neuropsychological assessment of monolingual Spanish-speaking people in the United States is both a common practice and an ethical dilemma. Lack of appropriate tests, the absence of norms, use of interpreters, and the multiplicity of in-house translations of commonly used measures add to the problem of accurate assessment. This paper helps address the lack of appropriate measures for the neuropsychological assessment of Latinos in the United States by providing a standardization of the Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS). Normative data on a sample of 300 Hispanic subjects stratified by gender, age, and education are provided. Current results reveal that not one measure of cognitive functioning is free from education effects. Both nonverbal measures and psychomotor speed measures were highly related to education. Age effects were noted on measures of psychomotor speed, visuospatial reasoning, and visuoconstructive skills. Gender effects were found on measures of psychomotor speed and language, with males achieving higher scores than females. The limitations of the current findings are considered. Further research for the validation of the NeSBHIS with clinical populations, as well as further normative data collection at the national and international levels, is needed. (JINS, 1996, 2, 96–104.)

In comparison with data from predominantly white populations, our proportion of AD cases was lower and that of VascD cases was considerably higher than anticipated. The percentage of clinically depressed older individuals was also high. These findings could have implications for differential cultural and genetic risk factors for dementia among diverse ethnic/racial groups. Further studies are needed to obtain accurate prevalence estimates of dementing disorders among the different U.S. Hispanic populations.

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The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, Verbal Fluency (FAS), and Auditory Consonant Trigrams are commonly used measures of prefrontal lobe dysfunction. However, insufficient data are available regarding the specific functions assessed by these tests and the relationship of the tests to each other. These four tests, as well as measures of IQ, memory, attention, and processing speed, were administered to 250 subjects (138 patients and 112 controls). Factor analysis yielded three factors, and a higher order frontal lobe factor, using a dimensional factor analytic methodology. Present findings revealed modest correlations among the prefrontal tests, suggesting that the tests tap somewhat different abilities and are not redundant. Adequate assessment of prefrontal lobe abilities appears to require use of more than one test.