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Objective: We investigated the construct and criterion validity of the source memory (SM) indices within the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II). Method: Participants included 77 individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND+), 287 HIV + neurocognitively normal individuals (HAND−) and 203 seronegative HIV comparisons (HIV−). CVLT-II SM impairment status (normative scores ≤1 standard deviation) was determined using Total Across-List Intrusions and Source Recognition Discriminability (d′). Participants also completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, assessments of everyday functioning and experimental measures of SM. Results: CVLT-II SM impairment was significantly associated with increased errors on experimental SM measures and lower scores on measures of passage recall and executive functions, but not visuospatial skills. In a logistic regression controlling for clinicodemographic factors, CVLT-II SM impairment was a significant independent predictor of HAND, with the HAND + group showing higher rates of SM impairment than both the HAND − and HIV − groups. Finally, CVLT-II SM impairment was significantly related to a composite measure of everyday functioning, but this effect disappeared after adjusting for covariates. Note that, the overall pattern of findings across this study also held when CVLT-3 normative standards were applied to the SM indices. Conclusions: Results provide initial support for the construct and criterion validity of a CVLT-II SM index in the setting of HIV disease. Future studies should examine the validity of CVLT-II SM variables in other neuropsychological populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study evaluated the reliability and validity of a novel, performance-based banking task in 60 younger (18-34 years) and 60 older (50-85 years) adults. All participants completed the Telephone-based Daily Instrumental Activities of Living (T-DIAL) using interactive voice response technology to complete a series of mock actions with a financial institution via telephone. The T-DIAL showed strong inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. T-DIAL accuracy was significantly and independently related to better self-reported instrumental activities of daily living and executive functions at a large effect size. Findings from this study provided preliminary supportive evidence for the reliability and validity of the T-DIAL, which had robust associations with manifest everyday functioning and higher-order cognitive ability. Future work is needed on the psychometrics (e.g. test-retest reliability, normative standards), and construct validity (e.g. diagnostic accuracy) of the T-DIAL in neurocognitive disorders and under-served communities for whom remote evaluations might be particularly relevant.

Objective: Health literacy is a strong psychosocial determinant of health disparities and has been found to relate to various aspects of health-related technology use. With the increased implementation of neuropsychological services performed via telehealth during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the relationship between health literacy and comfort with teleneuropsychology warrants further investigation., Method: The present study examined 77 Veterans participating in neuropsychological evaluations as a part of standard clinical care. The sample was diverse in terms of age ethnicity, and psychiatric and neurocognitive diagnoses. In addition to a fixed-flexible neuropsychological battery, the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool (BRIEF) was administered to evaluate health literacy. Self-reported comfort with the teleneuropsychological evaluation was assessed using an informal 10-point scale, and qualitative comfort responses were also recorded., Results: Independent samples t-tests revealed older adults were more likely to participate in the evaluation via telephone than with VA Video Connect. Although health literacy was not related to telehealth modality, it was correlated with comfort with the teleneuropsychological evaluation (r = .34, p < .01), although it is notable that average comfort levels were high across modalities (M = 8.16, SD = 2.50)., Conclusions: Findings support the notion that teleneuropsychological services may feasibly be implemented with a diverse group of patients, although flexibility with modality may be necessary. Those performing these services should also be aware that patients with lower health literacy may feel less comfortable with teleneuropsychology as they seek to build rapport and optimize evaluation engagement., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Apathy is prevalent in HIV disease and can significantly impact personal well-being; however, little is known about its neurobiological substrates in persons with HIV (PWH) disease., Methods: This cross-sectional, correlational study examined the association between apathy and several plasma biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor alpha, kynurenine, tryptophan, quinolinic acid, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain, and phosphorylated tau at position threonine 181) in 109 PWH and 30 seronegative participants ages 50 and older. Apathy was measured with a composite score derived from subscales of the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale and the Profile of Mood States., Results: Multiple regressions showed that PWH had significantly greater severity of apathy symptoms, independent of both data-driven and conceptually-based covariates. Pairwise correlations in the PWH sample indicated that apathy was not significantly associated with any of the measured biomarkers and all of the effect sizes were small., Conclusion: Findings suggest that apathy is not strongly associated with peripheral biomarkers of inflammation, neurotrophic support, or neurodegeneration in older PWH. Limitations of this study include the cross-sectional design, the use of self-report measures of apathy, and low rates of viremia. Longitudinal studies in more representative samples of PWH that include a more comprehensive panel of fluid biomarkers, informant and behavioral indicators of apathy, and relevant psychosocial factors might help to further clarify the neurobiological substrates of this complex neuropsychiatric phenomenon., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)