Correlations between performance on neuropsychological tests in children with chronic renal failure

A series of neuropsychological tests were given every 6 months to children with renal failure for up to 4 testing periods. Controls matched to the renal failure children were also given the same series. Associations between various neuropsychological variables for both the renal and control subjects were estimated and compared by a generalized growth curve procedure. Measures of vigilance and immediate recall were significantly related to more complicated measures of memory; vigilance and reaction time were significantly related to speed of decision making. Where differences occurred, the renal subjects more often exhibited correlations between neuropsychological variables than the controls, suggesting that renal failure has an impact on both generalized arousal and on other higher order complex brain functions.