Desenvolvimento e Validação Preliminar de um Protocolo para Entrevista Clínica Exploratória em Neuropsicologia

Abstract

The literature identifies several relevant cognitive domains to be explored during an initial Neuropsychological Assessment session, specifically at the time of the Clinical Interview. These include: orientation, awareness, sensory perception, motor functions, attention, memory, language (both expressive and receptive), visuospatial processing, and executive functioning. Some authors also highlight emotional and social aspects as relevant. Based on this, the present study aimed to develop and conduct a preliminary validation of a protocol for use during the Exploratory Clinical Interview in Neuropsychology. The protocol includes brief and accessible tasks designed to generate clinical hypotheses to be further investigated in a formal assessment. The protocol was piloted with a sample of 27 adult participants, including 12 individuals from a clinical group at a Rehabilitation Center in the Northern Region, specifically those with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) resulting from either Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and 15 healthy participants. Using Kendall's Tau statistics, significant correlations were found between various domains of the protocol and validated (neuro)psychological assessment tests, indicating convergent validity. Logistic regression results suggest that several domains are good predictors of group membership, with some demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity. However, no significant correlations or predictive relationships were observed in certain domains, raising questions about the suitability of the materials or the comparison tests used. The small sample size represents a limitation, highlighting the need for future studies with larger and more diverse samples, including different clinical profiles.