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Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NS), such as depression, apathy, hallucinations, etc., as well as changes in creativity in older age, are telltale marks in the development of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease. Both NS and creativity are important non-cognitive aspects of behavior that changes as a result of neurodegeneration, similar to the development of cognitive deficit. NS can occur in the preclinical stages of neurodegeneration, as well as in the clinical stages (mild cognitive impairment or dementia). However, in clinical routine, their presence is underestimated, or patients with neurodegeneration are often considered to have psychiatric disorders, which may negatively affect their treatment. Scientific research is increasingly devoted to the analysis of the non-cognitive aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, resulting in the newly defined concept of Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI). In this paper, a review of the most common NS and changes in creativity as a result of neurodegeneration with a special focus on Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper brings information concerning the literary figures from neuropsychological bibliography and describes namely the situation in the U.S.A., Australia, England, Germany, and Spain. The research and practice especially in last twenty years brought essential progress and many high quality methods were elaborated. The problem is significant not only for the forensic neuropsychology but also for the ordinary clinical practice. The examination of validity of responses should become the substantial part of neuropsychological and psychological assessment in the Czech Republic, too. It enables to make the findings more precise and thereby to improve the diagnostics and further work with patients or clients. The information about methods examined by the author is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The paper summarizes neuropsychological monitoring of employees exposed to TCDD during mass industrial intoxication in years 1965 - 1968 in an herbicides producing factory. Sample and methods: About 350 persons were exposed, the signs of poisoning expressed themselves in about 80 workers. 13 men in the years 1996 and 2001, 14 men in 2004, and 10 men in 2008 were examined. 1. Basic cognitive performance (WAIS-R), 2. Memory, attention, executive functions (WMS, HRNB, WCST, and others), 3. Self-assessment of examined persons, and 4.Symptom validity (TOMM, Retest Consistency Index - RCI and the performance pattern in Digit span and Vocabulary subtests) were evaluated. Statistical analysis: Methods of descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation were used. Results: Even forty years after the intoxication, the level of TCDD in fat was still 100 times higher in the group of examined men than in the general population. During the whole period of monitoring, there was the evidence of neuropsychological impairment, first of all in the executive functions, in the examined group. Significant correlations of TCDD levels and neuropsychological achievements were found. Study limitation: The small scope of the sample limits the possibility of the generalization of results. Nevertheless, the results are in correspondence with a number of quoted publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper informs about the battery and its development, including recent projects of screening batteries (Horwitz et al., 2008; Vanderlice-Barr et al., 2008). It sums up the discussions about psychometric features of HRNB, about relation of fixed and flexible batteries, and quite flexible test selection, about rightfulness of court expert examinations in the USA. According to the author, the objections of some critics that the HRNB battery is outclassed by the development do not stand. HRNB is being developed due to numerous studies, the norms and interpretations are precised, new procedures originate in its framework. The sample consisting of more than 520 persons was examined by the Czech translation of the method, with useful application among others in schizophrenia (comparison of ill and their healthy twins, relation of neuropsychological tests to monitoring eye-movements and to density of white cortex), in epilepsy (pharmacotherapy and compensation), and in persons with chronic intoxication by toxic substances (toluene, mercury, dioxin). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]