[The Balloons Test for the assessment of visual inattention in psychogeriatric patients]

The Balloons Test is a paper-and-pencil target cancellation task designed to detect visual inattention. The test consists of two subtests: subtest A for parallel, automatic processing and detection of twenty circles with an adjoining vertical line ('balloons') among a much larger number of circles as distractors. Subtest B asks for serial and effortful search of twenty circles among balloons. Among 191 consecutive participants of a psychogeriatric day care program (mean age 78 yr) 28.2% scored below 17 on subtest B, which is indicative of generalized visual inattention. Bivariate analyses showed that visual inattention was associated with deficiencies on tasks of visuospatial, constructional and executive mental control functions. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, two tests of visuospatial perception (clock reading and picture description) retained an independent effect in the association with visual inattention. Only three participants (1.6%) were unable to take the Balloons Test. The results of this clinical study are in favour of the Balloons Test as a useful addition to inattention measurement in psychogeriatric patients.