Abstract
ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to validate the computerized Symbol Digit Modalities Test (c-SDMT) in a Swiss pediatric cohort, in comparing the Swiss sample to the Canadian norms. Secondly, we evaluated sex effects, age-effects, and test–retest reliability of the c-SDMT in comparison to values obtained for the paper and pencil version of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT).MethodsThis longitudinal observational study was conducted in a single-center setting at the University Children’s Hospital of Bern. Our cohort consisted of 86 children (45 male and 41 female) aged from 8 to 16 years. The cohort included both healthy participants (n = 38) and patients (n = 48) hospitalized for a non-neurological disease. Forty eight participants were assessed during two testing sessions with the SDMT and the c-SDMT.ResultsTest–retest reliability was high in both tests (SDMT: ICC = 0.89, c-SDMT: ICC = 0.90). A reliable change index was calculated for the SDMT (RCIp = −3.18, 14.01) and the c-SDMT (RCIp = −5.45, 1.46) corrected for practice effects. While a significant age effect on information processing speed was observed, no such effect was found for sex. When data on the c-SDMT performance of the Swiss cohort was compared with that from a Canadian cohort, no significant difference was found for the mean time per trial in any age group. Norm values for age groups between 8 and 16 years in the Swiss cohort were established.ConclusionNorms for the c-SDMT between the Swiss and the Canadian cohort were comparable. The c-SDMT is a valid alternative to the SDMT. It is a feasible and easy to administer bedside tool due to high reliability and the lack of motor demands.
Highlights
Information processing speed (IPS) reflects the efficiency of cognitive function (Low et al, 2017)
Test–retest reliability was high in both tests (SDMT: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.89, computerized Symbol Digit Modalities Test (c-Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)): ICC = 0.90)
A reliable change index was calculated for the SDMT (RCIp = −3.18, 14.01) and the c-SDMT (RCIp = −5.45, 1.46) corrected for practice effects
Summary
Information processing speed (IPS) reflects the efficiency of cognitive function (Low et al, 2017). As a fundamental cognitive function it is linked to everyday activities (Hale, 1990; Roivainen, 2011) and can be specified as a combination of the encoding of information, its transformation and retrieval, as well as perception, working speed, and attention (Weiss et al, 2015; Scharfen et al, 2018). Information processing speed can be used as a measure for cognitive dysfunction. IPS can be used for predicting progression or recovery in conditions like traumatic brain injury, where processing speed plays a significant role in the mediation of the correlation between the severity of the injury and post-traumatic brain injury adaptive functioning (Rassovsky et al, 2006)
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