Is neuropshych exam worth it now?

gailtothev · September 17

DH was diagnosed with early AD via PET. We have upcoming scans to see if he's a candidate for the infusion treatments. We have a neuropsych exam (the 3-4 hour one) scheduled. Is it worth it to still get it done? Costs are rising and I'm not sure the value. Would love to hear some opinions.

charley0419 · September 17

I had my wife join a study in NJ they did all tests , if you accepted, free test Medicare would not cover. We did trail for about 2 months then I stopped as felt didn’t know if she was getting meds or not and felt some kind of meds better then nonev

CindyBum · September 17

Well. If you already know it's AD, I don't see what a neuropsych exam would add to that diagnosis. My opinion only.

Robert1320 · September 17

It may be worthwhile if it yields a prognosis.

There's many legal issues that are best settled before the disease progresses.

There's also family/personal issues that may be better handled soon. When my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she arranged a bike tour of Switzerland with her children, and a cruise with her parents and siblings.

harshedbuzz · September 17

@gailtothev

Before the special PET scan was readily available and accepted as diagnostic of Alz, the neuropsych exam was considered a part of the gold standard evaluation. I'm not sure whether that is still the case.

The neuropsych results can be useful even in the face of a definitive Alz diagnosis if the pattern of the results in the subsections of the test indicate that the PWD might have mixed dementia which is very common. Knowing about vascular or frontotemporal dementia along with Alzheimer's might inform care decisions and treatment.

That said, do you know if the exam is required to demonstrate that your DH is early enough in the disease progression to qualify for the infusion treatment?

HB

Timmyd · September 17

If you proceed, you should get full access to all the test results as well as an appointment with the person who performed the test who will go over the results with you. If DH is agreeable to testing and you want a professional opinion on where exactly DH is along in the journey, then consider the test. If DH does not like the memory testing and it is going to make him miserable, I would considering skipping it.

Normally I would expect neuro-psyc testing to occur before PET scan as it is far less invasive and costly a test

Maybe leave it up to DH to decide?

jfkoc · September 17

I would just be very certain of the why behind the psych testing. I think it can demonstrate what skills are deteriorating.

Carl46 · September 17

I think I would skip the neuropsych exam unless it's required to qualify for treatment. My wife took that, and the only result was that it made her feel totally stupid and pretty angry. A clinical psychologist told me she and her classmates were required to take it as part of their doctoral program, and it made them feel totally stupid as well.

Is neuropshych exam worth it now?

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