A neuropsychologist can help you, your family, and the rest of your healthcare team understand how your cognitive functioning affects your daily life.

Neurocognitive Assessment

There are many reasons your doctor may refer you to Medical Center Psychiatry for a neurocognitive assessment. The most common reasons are listed below, but your doctor may refer you for other reasons as well.

Neurocognitive assessments are used to:

• Determine the cause of suspected cognitive deficits and how they may be affecting day-to-day functioning
• Assess whether changes in memory, concentration, and other cognitive processes are due to normal aging or other underlying cause
• Assess cognitive function following a neurological event such as a stroke, brain injury, or other neurological disorder
• Evaluate cognitive functioning before and after a surgery or other treatment for epilepsy, movement disorder, cancer, or other illnesses that affect brain function
• Assist in treatment planning, develop recommendations to help support cognitive functions, and provide referrals for additional support

It is important to understand if you are experiencing problems that are not typical based on your age, background, and health history. The assessment is based on standardized, research-validated measures.

What is a neurocognitive assessment?

A neurocognitive assessment looks at multiple aspects of cognitive, emotional, and practical daily functioning such as:

• Intellectual ability
• Attention, concentration, and mental efficiency
• Speech and language functioning
• Learning and memory
• Reasoning and problem solving
• Perceptual and visual-spatial ability
• Daily/adaptive functioning
• Mood, personality, and emotional functioning

The neuropsychologist can provide information about how those processes are working together to influence your overall functioning and quality of life.

What happens after the evaluation?

The information from the assessment and any recommendations for follow-up are summarized in a report and shared with your doctor. The neuropsychologist will also contact you to discuss the results in more detail.

Telemedicine is available

We offer a variety of options including both in-person and telemedicine services. A neurocognitive assessment can be done using videoconferencing tools. The use of telemedicine services is particularly important when it is not possible for the patient to come in person. When scheduling the appointment, we will ask which option you prefer.

About our neuropsychologist

Melissa Mathews, Ph.D., specializes in performing neurocognitive evaluations to better understand the relationship between suspected cognitive deficits and daily functioning. Her specialties include cognitive disorders of aging, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cognitive impairment associated with vascular and metabolic risk factors.