Remote assessment of the Penn computerised neurocognitive battery in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

• Published in: Journal of intellectual disability research 2024-04, Vol.68 (4), p.369-376
• Main Authors: White, L K, Hillman, N, Ruparel, K, Moore, T M, Gallagher, R S, McClellan, E J, Roalf, D R, Scott, J C, Calkins, M E, McGinn, D E, Giunta, V, Tran, O, Crowley, T B, Zackai, E H, Emanuel, B S, McDonald-McGinn, D M, Gur, R E, Gur, R C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Cognition; DiGeorge Syndrome - complications; DiGeorge Syndrome - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Neurocognition; Neuropsychological Tests; Phenotype; Psychopathology; Variants
• ISSN: 0964-2633; 1365-2788
• DOI: 10.1111/jir.13115

Neurocognitive functioning is an integral phenotype of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome relating to severity of psychopathology and outcomes. A neurocognitive battery that could be administered remotely to assess multiple cognitive domains would be especially beneficial to research on rare genetic variants, where in-person assessment can be unavailable or burdensome. The current study compares in-person and remote assessments of the Penn computerised neurocognitive battery (CNB). Participants (mean age = 17.82, SD = 6.94 years; 48% female) completed the CNB either in-person at a laboratory (n = 222) or remotely (n = 162). Results show that accuracy of CNB performance was equivalent across the two testing locations, while slight differences in speed were detected in 3 of the 11 tasks. These findings suggest that the CNB can be used in remote settings to assess multiple neurocognitive domains.