Luria-Nebraska battery

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Luria-Nebraska Battery

Test Batteries

Often when a person is considered to have neuropsychological problems or cognitive dysfunctions, they are given a test batter. This is a long series of tests that measure a variety of skills. Some of these include measures of verbal and non-verbal intelligence, memory, IQ, use of language, visual-spatial skills, etc. Since certain tests test for specific skills, and specific skills are related to specific parts of the brain, the results can be very revealing. If a person performs particularly poorly on a certain test, the results may show a possible damage in a localized area or function. If a patient does poorly on all tests, more generalized damage or dysfunction may be indicated.

Luria-Nebraska Battery

One particular type of battery, or series of tests, is called the Luria-Nebraska battery. It was created by Charles Golden in 1981 and is known for being particularly time consuming. It is comprised of 269 different test items that assess 11 areas of functions, taking from 90 to 150 minutes to complete. The function areas include: reading, writing, arithmetic, visual, memory, receptive language, expressive language, rhythm, motor function, tactile, and intelligence. Two versions are available for different age levels. The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children (LNNB-C) is best suited for children aged 8 to 12, and the ordinary Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) is most effective on people 13 and older.