Affiliations: Psychology Department, Brigham Young University,
Provo, UT, USA | Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo,
UT, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Mark D. Allen, Department of Psychology,
1022 SWKT, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. Tel.: +1 801 422
6481; Fax: +1 801 422 0602; E-mail: m_allen@byu.edu
Abstract: Functional MRI is increasingly recognized for its potential as a
powerful new tool in clinical neuropsychology. This is likely due to the fact
that, with some degree of innovation, it is possible to convert practically any
familiar cognitive test into one that can be performed in the MRI scanning
environment. However, like any assessment approach, meaningful interpretation
of fMRI data for the purpose of patient evaluation crucially requires normative
data derived from a sample of unimpaired persons, against which individual
patients may be compared. Currently, no such normative data are available for
any fMRI-based cognitive testing protocol. In this paper, we report the first
of a series of fMRI-compatible cognitive assessment protocols, a matrix
reasoning test (f-MRT), for which normative samples of functional activation
have been collected from unimpaired control subjects and structured in a manner
that makes individual patient evaluation possible in terms of familiar
z-score distributions. Practical application of the f-MRT is
demonstrated via a contrastive case-study of two individuals with cognitive
impairment in which fMRI data identifies subtleties in patient deficits
otherwise missed by conventional measures of performance.
Keywords: fMRI, matrix reasoning, cognitive assessment, normative data
