Neuropsychological false positives in litigation: trail making test findings

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Neuropsychological assessments are crucial for evaluating cognitive function.
• The influence of external factors, such as litigation, on test performance is a significant concern in clinical and forensic settings.
• The Trail Making Test is a widely used neuropsychological screening instrument.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the presence of litigation affects performance on the Trail Making Test.
• To determine the rate of impaired scores on the Trail Making Test among workers' compensation claimants without a history of brain injury.

Main Methods:

• Administered the Trail Making Test (Trails A and B) to 100 workers' compensation claimants.
• Participants had no known history of brain injury or claims for neuropsychological impairment.
• Utilized a generally accepted neuropsychological screening instrument.

Main Results:

• 40% of subjects scored in the impaired range on Trail A.
• 36% of subjects scored in the impaired range on Trail B.
• A significant proportion of claimants exhibited scores suggestive of impairment.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians should exercise caution when interpreting Trail Making Test results for individuals involved in litigation.
• The findings suggest that litigation status may be a confounding variable in neuropsychological testing.
• Further research is recommended to explore the impact of litigation on cognitive test performance.