Jordi Peña-Casanova

• MD, PhD
• Head of Department at Consorci MAR Parc de Salut de Barcelona

Introducción. A finales del siglo XVIII Franz Joseph Gall cuestiona la unidad funcional de la corteza cerebral; anticipando el advenimiento de una nueva era en el estudio de las funciones corticales. Desarrollo. Esta revisión tiene como objetivo proporcionar una visión general del conocimiento de la organización funcional cortical disponible en el...

Introducción. A lo largo de la historia se han propuesto diferentes soluciones para desentrañar la ubicación anatómica de la actividad psíquica, y cuáles son los mecanismos que la generan. Durante siglos la doctrina ventricular y la teoría de los espíritus animales han sido el modelo estándar para explicar la anatomía y fisiología cerebral. Con el...

OBJECTIVE Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG)–guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) is being used incrementally in the invasive diagnosis of epilepsy. There is currently a lack of information regarding the potential cognitive consequences of the extended use of this technique. This work describes, for the first time, the cognitive outcome...

Dementia remains an underdiagnosed syndrome, and there is a need to improve the early detection of cognitive decline. This narrative review examines the role of neuropsychological assessment in the characterization of cognitive changes associated with dementia syndrome at different states. The first section describes the early indicators of cogniti...

Objective: The present study aims to provide norms and age-, education-, and sex-adjusted data for the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Modified Taylor Complex Figure (MTCF), and the Ruff-Light Trail Learning Test (RULIT) as part of the NEURONORMA-Plus project. Methods: We recruited 308 cognitively healthy individuals aged between 18 and...

Introduction: Complex attention and non-verbal fluency tasks are used in neuropsychological assessments with the aim of exploring subdomains of executive function. The purpose of this study is to provide norms and age-, education-, and sex-adjusted data for the Delis Kaplan-Design Fluency Test (DK-DFT), Color Trails Test (CTT), and Dual Task (DT)...

Background Neuropsychological assessments are essential to define the cognitive profile and contribute to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The progress in knowledge about the pathophysiological process of the disease has allowed conceptualizing AD through biomarkers as a biological continuum that encompasses different clinical stages. Ob...

Introducción. En 1906, Pierre Marie publica "Revision de la question de l' aphasie: l' aphasie de 1861 à 1866, essai de critique historique sur la genèse de la doctrine de Broca". En este artículo sostiene que el hallazgo presentado por Paul Pierre Broca en abril de 1861, ante la Société d' Anthropologie de Paris, alcanza el estatus de dogma gracia...

Introducción. Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) ejerce de maestro y mentor de diversos médicos interesados en el comportamiento humano desde una perspectiva organicista, primero como director de la Clínica Psiquiátrica de Breslau y posteriormente de la Clínica Psiquiátrica y Neurológica de la Universidad de Halle. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar...

Resumen Introducción El análisis de biomarcadores bioquímicos de enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) en líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) se recomienda como parte del diagnóstico en los centros en los que está disponible. Ante la ausencia de valores universales validados, se recomienda la determinación de puntos de corte (PdC) específicos para cada centro y...

Introduction The analysis of the core biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is recommended in the clinical units where it is available. Because of the absence of universal validated values, the determination of specific cut-off points for each center and its population is recommended. The main objective of the CORC...

There is no single valid method covering all the clinical and research needs of aphasia assessment. The classic controversies about the qualitative and psychometric approaches to this condition should be finally overcome. In this article, firstly, the metric characteristics of the test variables employed in the study of aphasia are investigated. Se...

Introducción. Los últimos años del gobierno estalinista están marcados por un profundo intervencionismo económico, cultural y científico. Con estas medidas Iósif Stalin (1878-1953) persigue erradicar la influencia occidental y poner las ciencias naturales a merced de un entorno controlado por el Estado. El objetivo de esta revisión es describir el...

Introducción. En 1878, Hermann Munk vincula el procesamiento visual con la corteza occipital. Doce años después Heinrich Lissauer plantea un modelo por etapas para el reconocimiento de objetos que sienta las bases del estudio de los trastornos visuales del reconocimiento. Desarrollo. El objetivo de este artículo es describir la evolución del estud...

Neuropsychological examination tries to define the state of the mental capacities of patients with brain injury. Traditionally, a dichotomy is established between qualitative and quantitative (psychometric) evaluations. Luria’s qualitative evaluation is frequently opposed to “western” psychometric approaches. After reviewing a series of topics (sym...

Introduction In the context of neurological disorders, language assessment is traditionally based on the use of the standard language of the community in which the assessment is performed. Dialectical variables constitute a “forgotten” topic. This review aims to provide resources and working guidelines to overcome this limitation. Development The...

Introduction: Complex attention and non-verbal fluency tasks are used in neuropsychological assessments with the aim of exploring subdomains of executive function. The purpose of this study is to provide norms and age-, education-, and sex-adjusted data for the Delis Kaplan-Design Fluency Test (DK-DFT), Color Trails Test (CTT), and Dual Task (DT)...

Objective: The present study aims to provide norms and age-, education-, and sex-adjusted data for the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Modified Taylor Complex Figure (MTCF), and the Ruff-Light Trail Learning Test (RULIT) as part of the NEURONORMA-Plus project. Methods: We recruited 308 cognitively healthy individuals aged between 18 and...

objetivos de este estudio son (1) Evaluar la formación de conceptos en pacientes hospitalizados por ictus y (2) Estudiar su recuperación, longitudinalmente, durante un tratamiento neurorehabilitador. Se valoró la formación de conceptos en 20 pacientes con ictus mediante el subtest de Semejanzas (WAIS-IV). Edad media: 51 ± 7,34 años. Nivel de escola...

This paper describes the anatomical aspects of a functional brain model that develops A. R. Luria’s ideas. Five functional brain units are described on the basis of ontogenetic, anatomical, histological, functional, and clinical studies: preferential or primordial (unit I), limbic (unit II), cortical (unit III), basal ganglia (unit IV), and cerebel...

Introduction The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is widely used for the assessment of verbal episodic memory, mainly in patients with Alzheimer disease. A Spanish-language version of the FCSRT and normative data were developed within the NEURONORMA project. Availability of alternative, equivalent versions is useful for following pati...

Introduction: In the context of neurological disorders, language assessment is traditionally based on the use of the standard language of the community in which the assessment is performed. Dialectical variables constitute a 'forgotten' topic. This review aims to provide resources and working guidelines to overcome this limitation. Development:...

Objective: To develop and implement an online Artificial Neural Network (ANN) that provides the probability of a subject having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: Different ANNs were trained using a sample of 350 controls (CONT), 75 MCI and 93 AD subjects. The ANN structure chosen was the following: (1) an input la...

The Barcelona test (TB) is an instrument of neuropsychological assessment, developed under the influence of Luria's ideas, and published in 1990 [1]. It explores the main cognitive functions and allows the design of graphic profiles similar to those of the Boston Test for the diagnosis of aphasia. Objective: To present the theoretical and practical...

This paper reviews, elaborates, and rebuilds Luria's model of the three functional units of the brain. As a result, five functional brain units have been delineated: preferential (unit for life-support and arousal regulation), limbic (unit for valuation/motivation and for context memory), cortical and thalamic-cortical ("the conscious agent"), basa...

Objectives Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is the incapacity to respond to stimuli presented opposite to a dysfunctional cerebral hemisphere. It is usually caused by non‐dominant hemisphere lesions, leads to poorer prognosis and might be underdiagnosed. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the presence of USN in acute stroke patients and...

Introduction: The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is widely used for the assessment of verbal episodic memory, mainly in patients with Alzheimer disease. A Spanish version of the FCSRT and normative data were developed within the NEURONORMA project. Availability of alternative, equivalent versions is useful for following patients up...

The objective of this study was to examine visual scanning performance in patients with Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) in a visual search task. Thirty-one right hemisphere stroke patients with USN were recruited. They performed a dynamic visual search task with two conditions, with and without distractors, while eye movements were monitored with...

Introduction: Neuropsychological assessment in individuals with intellectual disability is of utmost importance in order to determine the cognitive deficits underlying brain dysfunction and limiting intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. However, no neuropsychological batteries in Spanish language have been created and validated for this...

Background Decisive information on the parameters involved in cognitive impairment in patients with chronic heart failure is as yet lacking. Our aim was to determine the functional and psychosocial variables related with cognitive impairment using the mini-mental-state examination (MMSE) with age-and education-corrected scores. MethodsA cohort stud...

Objective. Serial cognitive assessments are useful for many purposes, such as monitoring cognitive decline or evaluating the result of an intervention. In order to determine if an observed change is reliable and meaningful, longitudinal reference data from non-clinical samples are needed. Since neuropsychological outcomes are affected by language a...

Background: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) is emerging as a promising tool for the detection of subtle memory impairment suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For such a test to be widely accessed and used, the availability of both alternate forms and language adaptations is required. Objectives: To develop a thorough methodology for obtaining alt...

Introduction: Brief cognitive tests (BCT) may help detect cognitive impairment (CI) in the clinical setting. Several BCT have been developed and/or validated in our country, but we lack specific recommendations for use. Development: Review of studies on the diagnostic accuracy of BCT for CI, using studies conducted in Spain with BCT which take l...

Background Episodic memory testing is fundamental for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is widely used for this purpose, it may not be sensitive enough for early detection of subtle decline in preclinical AD. The Memory Binding Test (MBT) intends to overcome this limitation. Obje...

Introduction: Tham and Tegner proposed the Baking Tray Task (BTT) as a fast simple assessment test for detecting spatial negligence. However, very few studies have examined its validity as a diagnostic test. Aim: To analyse the diagnostic validity of the BTT by measuring its specificity and sensitivity in a sample of subjects with right hemisphe...

Background: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) is a novel test based on the learning of two lists of words, developed to detect early memory impairment suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: To present and provide reference data of the Spanish MBT in a midlife population of mainly first-degree descendants of AD patients. Methods: 472 cogniti...

Introduction: Brief cognitive tests (BCT) may help detect cognitive impairment (CI) in theclinical setting. Several BCT have been developed and/or validated in our country, but we lackspecific recommendations for use. Development: Review of studies on the diagnostic accuracy of BCT for CI, using studies conduc-ted in Spain with BCT which take less...

The recent prospect of pharmaceutical interventions for cognitive impairment of Down syndrome (DS) has boosted a number of clinical trials in this population. However, running the trials has raised some methodological challenges and questioned the prevailing methodology used to evaluate cognitive functioning of DS individuals. This is usually achie...

Background Little is known about the long-term acceptance and effects of cognitive and motor stimulation interventions (CMSI) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective To evaluate a replicable CMSI program for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild-to-moderate AD persons. Methods Eighty-four non-institutionalized subjects with AD were randomized t...

Purpose to investigate discourse in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using a picture narrative task; to examine possible difficulties in the expression of knowledge and the relationship between discourse and cognition. Methods the design of the study was transversal, using quantitative comparison of groups. The clinical sample consisted of eighteen subjec...

The aim of this study was to characterize the neuropsychological and neuroimaging profiles of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and to study the magnitude of the differences by comparing both outcomes with healthy subjects in a cross-sectional manner. Five hundred and thirty-five subjects (356 cognitively normal...

Background: The Alzheimer's Disease Functional Assessment and Change Scale (ADFACS) is a functional assessment instrument widely used in clinical research. Aims: To test the diagnostic and concurrent validity of the Spanish version of this scale and to describe the functional deficit pattern for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's di...

The application of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) is time-consuming and shortened versions need to be developed for screening purposes. The aims of this study were to develop four equivalent 15-item forms of a Spanish adaptation of the BNT, to test the equivalence of the new versions in a clinical sample, and to provide normative data. The normative...

being affected in at least two cognitive domains 1. Among the different types of existing dementias, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form in the elderly population. The AD diagnosis is currently made on clinical grounds and among its main cognitive features are the difficulties related to memory, language, executive functions and vis...

Resumen: Introducción: La Visual Object and Space Perception Battery (VOSP) y el Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO) son pruebas utilizadas para explorar habilidades visuoperceptivas y visuoespaciales. Objetivo: En el presente estudio, como parte de los estudios normativos españoles del proyecto NEURONORMA jóvenes, se presentan datos normativos para...

Purposes: Assess the contribution of demographic, clinical, biochemical parameters and co morbidities to cognitive impairment in heart failure and weight in mortality rates at 3 and 12 months follow-up. Methods: From 2005 to 2010, 806 heart failure patients were enrolled and 683 joined the study. Fifty healthy volunteers participated altruistically...

This study investigates discourse coherence and its relation with cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participants consisted, in two groups of individuals, 18 with AD in the moderate and moderate severe stages of cognitive decline, and 16 older adults without dementia matched by age, sex and education. Discourse tasks differed according...

This study investigates discourse coherence and its relation with cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participants consisted, in two groups of individuals, 18 with AD in the moderate and moderate severe stages of cognitive decline, and 16 older adults without dementia matched by age, sex and education. Discourse tasks differed according...

The adverse effects of cannabis use on executive functions are still controversial, fostering the need for novel biomarkers able to unveil individual differences in the cognitive impact of cannabis consumption. Two common genetic polymorphisms have been linked to the neuroadaptive impact of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure and to executive fu...

IntroductionLexical fluency tests are frequently used in clinical practice to assess language and executive function.Objective As part of the Spanish normative studies project in young adults (NEURONORMA young adults project), we provide age- and education-adjusted normative data for 3 semantic fluency tasks (animals, fruits and vegetables, and kit...

Many patients with aphasia are bilingual or multilingual. Different variables lead to a number of patterns of recovery of the mother tongue (L1) in relation to other languages (L2, L3,…, Ln). These variables can be studied most easily when a patient speaks structurally distant languages (i.e., languages that do not share similarities). In this pape...

The expression of neurodegenerative diseases can be categorized into three main symptomatic domains: neurological, cognitive and, neuropsychiatric. This review focuses on the cognitive profile and neuropsychological assessment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The topography and progression of brain neuropathology determines the cognitive expression of...

The retrogenesis model states that the progression of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) deterioration proceeds inversely to human ontogenic acquisition patterns. Our aim was to assess if the progressive decline of cognitive abilities and functional capacity in AD follows an inverse sequence of acquisition compared to normal developmental pat...

IntroductionIn clinical neuropsychology, normative data are necessary to relate the performance of a subject to a reference group. These normative data should be collected from a pertinent population taking into account sociodemographic and cultural factors.Objective This paper describes the methods and sample characteristics of a series of Spanish...

Introduction: The Stroop Color-Word Interference Test (Stroop) measures cognitive flexibility, selective attention, cognitive inhibition and information processing speed. The Tower of London-Drexel University version test (TOL) assesses higher-order problem solving and executive planning abilities. Objective: In this study, as part of the Spanis...

Introduction: The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) are widely used in clinical practice. The ROCF assesses visual perception, constructional praxis, and visuo-spatial memory. The FCSRT assesses verbal learning and memory. Objective: In this study, as part of the Spanish normative studies...

INTRODUCTION: Lexical fluency tests are frequently used in clinical practice to assess language and executive function. OBJECTIVE: As part of the Spanish normative studies project in young adults (NEURONORMA jóvenes), we provide age- and education-adjusted normative data for 3 semantic fluency tasks (animals, fruits and vegetables, and kitchen tool...

Introduction: The Visual Object and Space Perception Battery (VOSP) and Judgment of Line Orientation tests (JLO) are used in clinical practice to assess visuoperceptual and visuospatial abilities. Objective: In this study, as part of the Spanish normative studies project in young adults (NEURONORMA young adults), we present normative data for a...

In clinical neuropsychology, normative data are necessary to relate the performance of a subject to a reference group. These normative data should be collected from a pertinent population taking into account sociodemographic and cultural factors. This paper describes the methods and sample characteristics of a series of Spanish normative studies on...

The Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the Token Test (TT) are frequently used in clinical practice to assess naming and comprehension. The aim of this paper is to present normative data for the BNT and for the TT as part of the NEURONORMA young adults Project. A total of 179 Spanish healthy subjects from 18 to 49 years old were evaluated. Tables to conv...

Verbal and visuospatial span, Letter-Number Sequencing, Trail Making Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test are frequently used in clinical practice to assess attention, executive functions and memory. In the present study, as part of the Spanish normative studies of NEURONORMA young adults Project, normative data adjusted by age and education are...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer disease (AD). Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computational tools that can provide valuable support to clinical decision making, classification, and prediction of cognitive functioning. The aims of this study were to develop, train, and explore and deve...

This study is aimed to clarify the association between MDMA cumulative use and cognitive dysfunction, and the potential role of candidate genetic polymorphisms in explaining individual differences in the cognitive effects of MDMA. Gene polymorphisms related to reduced serotonin function, poor competency of executive control and memory consolidation...

Introduction. The non-pharmacological therapy (NPT) field lacks an easy-to-use instrument that measures the experience of people with dementia (PWD) while undergoing non-pharmacological interventions. The NPT Experience Scale (NPT-ES) was designed and validated to cover this need. Methods. A multi-disciplinary team developed 15 candidate items of w...

The abbreviated Barcelona Test (a-BT) is an instrument widely used in Spain and Latin American countries for general neuropsychological assessment. The purpose of the present study was to provide new norms for the a-BT as part of the Neuronorma project. The sample consisted of 346 healthy controls. Overlapping cell procedure and midpoint techniques...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer disease. Most MCI subjects present disturbances in multiple neuropsychological domains, including executive function. This study aimed at exploring frontal lobe cortical thinning in MCI and healthy controls, and its relationship with problem-solvin...

Nonpharmacological therapies (NPTs) can improve the quality of life (QoL) of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their carers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best evidence on the effects of NPTs in AD and related disorders (ADRD) by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the entire field. Existing reviews and majo...

Hippocampal volume is reduced in Alzheimer Disease (AD) and has been proposed as a possible surrogate biomarker to aid early diagnosis. Whilst automated methods to segment the hippocampus from magnetic resonance images are available, manual segmentation, in spite of being time-consuming and unsuitable for large samples, is still the standard. In or...

The aim of this study was to investigate the communicative strategies present in the discourse of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). No quantitative difference was found in the number of strategies used by the DAT case with moderate-severe cognitive decline and controls. The results also showed the use of turn-taking and theme ma...

Doença de Alzheimer, Comunicação, Estratégias compensatórias,Turno,Tema

The aim of this study was to investigate the communicative strategies present in the discourse of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). No quantitative difference was found in the number of strategies used by the DAT case with moderate-severe cognitive decline and controls. The results also showed the use of turn-taking and the...

This article aimed to study the correlations for both the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS) and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) with regard to the volumetric measures of hippocampal formation and entorhinal cortex and to explore the effect size of these measures. A total of 34 healthy controls, 24 participants with mild cognitive im...

This article reports an investigation on the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms involved in knowledge management during discourse production of individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD). Two discourse variables were examined, incomplete propositions and repeated propositions. Differences between controls and participants with AD were found concernin...

As part of the Spanish Multicenter Normative Studies (NEURONORMA project), we provide age- and education-adjusted norms for the Boston naming test and Token test. The sample consists of 340 and 348 participants, respectively, who are cognitively normal, community-dwelling, and ranging in age from 50 to 94 years. Tables are provided to convert raw s...

Lexical fluency tests are frequently used in clinical practice to assess language and executive function. As part of the Spanish multicenter normative studies (NEURONORMA project), we provide age- and education-adjusted norms for three semantic fluency tasks (animals, fruit and vegetables, and kitchen tools), three formal lexical tasks (words begin...

This study forms part of the Spanish Multicenter Normative Studies (NEURONORMA project). Normative data for people aged over 49 years are presented for selected tasks of the visual object and space perception battery (VOSP) and for the judgment of line orientation (JLO) test. Age-adjusted norms were derived from a sample of 341 participants who are...

The Rey–Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) and the free and cued selective reminding test (FCSRT) are frequently used in clinical practice. The ROCF assesses visual perception, constructional praxis, and visuospatial memory, and the FCSRT assesses verbal learning and memory. As part of the Spanish Normative Studies (NEURONORMA), we provide age- and e...

As part of the NEURONORMA project, we provide age- and education-adjusted norms for the Stroop color-word interference test (SCWT)-Golden version and the Tower of London-Drexel University version (TOL(DX)). The sample consists of 344 and 347 participants, respectively, who are cognitively normal, community dwelling, and ranging in age from 50 to 90...

As part of the Spanish Multicenter Normative Studies (NEURONORMA project), we provide age- and education-adjusted norms for the following instruments: verbal span (digits), visuospatial span (Corsi's test), letter-number sequencing (WAIS-III), trail making test, and symbol digit modalities test. The sample consists of 354 participants who are cogni...