Information processing in patients with intracranial tumours: a preliminary evaluation of the clinical utility of inspection time

Abstract

Psychomotor slowing is a common feature in many patients with intracranial tumours. We therefore performed a preliminary study to determine if inspection time, a measure of the efficiency of the brain's information processing, was impaired in patients with intracranial tumours. Inspection time, and some other neuropsycholgical and functional tests, were compared in 23 people with intracranial tumours and 24 spinal surgery controls prior to surgery. Groups were matched for sex, age and education. Inspection time scores were poorer in the brain tumour group (p < 0.003) and the effect size was moderate (η2 = 0.197). The brain tumour group also had lower scores on the Boston Aphasia Severity Rating Scale, more anxiety on the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scales, but better Karnovsky Performance scores. Other cognitive and functional tests showed no significant differences between the groups, although group sizes were small. There were no significant changes in inspection time after spinal surgery; however, after intracranial tumour surgery, approximately 30% of patients showed no change, 30% deteriorated and 40% improved. This preliminary study suggests that recording inspection time, in a neuro-oncological setting, may prove informative and practically useful in assessing non-motor processing speed in people with brain tumours.