Jump to content

Trail Making Test: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Changed one title
m dash style fixes (MOS:DASH), capitalization
 
(16 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Neuropsychological test}}
{{Cleanup|date=January 2021|reason=language mix-up}}
⚫
{{Infobox diagnostic

⚫
| Name = Trail Making Test
⚫
{{Infobox diagnostic |
⚫
| Image = trails.jpg
⚫
Name = Trail Making Test |
⚫
| Caption = Part A sample
⚫
Image = trails.jpg|
| ICD10 =
⚫
Caption = Part A Sample|
ICD10 = |
| ICD9 =
⚫
| MeshID = D014145
ICD9 = |
⚫
| OPS301 =
⚫
MeshID = D014145 |
| hgxh
⚫
OPS301 = |
OtherCodes = |
OtherCodes = |6382
}}
}}


The '''Trail Making Test''' is a [[neuropsychological test]] of [[Attention#Visual attention|visual attention]] and [[Task switching (psychology)|task switching]]. It consists of two parts in which the subject is instructed to connect a set of 25 dots as quickly as possible while still maintaining accuracy.<ref name=arnett>{{cite journal|title=Effect of physical layout in performance of the Trail Making Test |journal=Psychological Assessment |year=1995|first=James A.|last= Arnett |author2=Seth S. Labovitz |volume=7|issue=2|pages=220–221|id= {{ProQuest|614331919}}|doi=10.1037/1040-3590.7.2.220}}</ref> The test can provide information about visual search speed, scanning, speed of processing, mental flexibility, as well as executive functioning.<ref name=arnett /> It is sensitive to detecting cognitive impairment associated with [[dementia]], for example, [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Cahn | first1 = D. A. |display-authors=etal | year = 1995 | title = Detection of dementia of the Alzheimer type in a population-based sample: Neuropsychological test performance | journal = Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society | volume = 1 | issue = 3| pages = 252–260 | doi=10.1017/s1355617700000242| pmid = 9375219 }}</ref>
The '''Trail Making Test''' is a [[neuropsychological test]] of [[Attention#Visual attention|visual attention]] and [[Task switching (psychology)|task switching]]. It has two parts, in which the subject is instructed to connect a set of 25 dots as quickly as possible while maintaining accuracy.<ref name=arnett>{{cite journal|title=Effect of physical layout in performance of the Trail Making Test |journal=Psychological Assessment |year=1995|first=James A.|last= Arnett |author2=Seth S. Labovitz |volume=7|issue=2|pages=220–221|id= {{ProQuest|614331919}}|doi=10.1037/1040-3590.7.2.220}}</ref> The test can provide information about visual search speed, scanning, speed of processing, [[Cognitive flexibility|mental flexibility]], and executive functioning.<ref name=arnett /> It is sensitive to cognitive impairment associated with [[dementia]], including [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Cahn | first1 = D. A. |display-authors=etal | year = 1995 | title = Detection of dementia of the Alzheimer type in a population-based sample: Neuropsychological test performance | journal = Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society | volume = 800 | issue = 3| pages = 252–260 | doi=10.1017/s1355617700000242| pmid = 9375219 | s2cid = 26793774 }}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
The test was created by [[Ralph Reitan]], an American neuropsychologist considered one of the fathers of clinical neuropsychology. The test was used in 1944 for assessing general [[intelligence]], and was part of the [[Army Individual Test of General Ability]].<ref name="tombaugh">{{cite journal
The test was created by [[Ralph Reitan]], an American neuropsychologist considered one of the fathers of clinical neuropsychology. The test was used in 1944 for assessing general [[intelligence]], and was part of the [[Army Individual Test of General Ability]].<ref name="tombaugh">{{cite journal
|title=Trail Making test A and B: Normative Data Stratified by Age and Education|journal= Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology|year=2004|first=T.N.T.N|last= Tombaugh|volume=19|issue=2|pages=203–214|id= {{ProQuest|71715116}}|doi=10.1016/s0887-6177(03)00039-8|pmid=15010086|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the 1950s<ref>R. M. Reitan, R. M. (1955). The relation of the trail making test to organic brain damage. Journal of Consulting Psychology</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Reitan | first1 = R. M. | year = 1958 | title = Validity of the Trail Making test as an indicator of organic brain damage | journal = Percept. Mot Skills | volume = 8 | issue = 3| pages = 271–276 | doi=10.2466/pms.1958.8.3.271}}</ref> researchers began using the test to assess cognitive dysfunction stemming from [[brain damage]], and it has since been incorporated into the [[Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery|Halstead-Reitan battery]].<ref name="tombaugh" /> The Trail Making Test is now commonly used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. Poor performance is known to be associated with many types of brain impairment, in particular frontal lobe lesion.
|title=Trail Making test A and B: Normative Data Stratified by Age and Education|journal= Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology|year=2004|first=T.N.T.N|last= Tombaugh|volume=19|issue=2|pages=203–214|id= {{ProQuest|71715116}}|doi=10.1016/s0887-6177(03)00039-8|pmid=15010086|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the 1950s<ref>R. M. Reitan, R. M. (1955). The relation of the trail making test to organic brain damage. Journal of Consulting Psychology</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Reitan | first1 = R. M. | year = 1958 | title = Validity of the Trail Making test as an indicator of organic brain damage | journal = Perceptual and Motor Skills | volume = 8 | issue = 3| pages = 271–276 | doi=10.2466/pms.1958.8.3.271| s2cid = 144077004 }}</ref> researchers began using the test to assess cognitive dysfunction stemming from [[brain damage]], and it has since been incorporated into the [[Halstead–Reitan Neuropsychological Battery|Halstead–Reitan battery]].<ref name="tombaugh" /> The Trail Making Test is now commonly used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. Poor performance is known to be associated with many types of brain impairment, in particular frontal lobe lesion.


==Method and interpretation==
==Method and interpretation==
The task requires a subject to connect a sequence of 25 consecutive targets on a sheet of paper or computer screen, in a similar manner to a child's [[connect-the-dots]] puzzle. There are two parts to the test: in the first, the targets are all numbers from 1 al 25 and the test taker needs to connect them in sequential order; in the second part, the dots go from 1 to 13 and include letters from A to L. As in the first part, the patient must connect the dots in order while alternating letters and numbers, as in 1-A-2-B-3-C..., in the shortest time possible without lifting the pen from the paper. .<ref name= Bowie>{{cite journal
The task requires the subject to connect 25 consecutive targets on a sheet of paper or a computer screen, in a manner to like that employed in [[connect-the-dots]] exercises. There are two parts to the test. In the first, the targets are all the whole numbers from 1 to 25, and the subject must connect them in numerical order. In the second part, thirteen of the dots are numbered from 1 to 13 and twelve are given the letters from A to L; the subject must connect the dots in order while alternating letters and numbers (1–A–2–B–3–C ...) as fast as possible without lifting the pen from the paper.<ref name= Bowie>{{cite journal
|title=Administration and interpretation of the trail making test |journal=Nature Protocols |year=2006 |first=C.R.C.R |last= Bowie |author2=P.D.P.D Harvey |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=2277–2281 |id= {{ProQuest|68327018}}|doi= 10.1038/nprot.2006.390|pmid=17406468 }}</ref> If the subject makes an error, the test administrator corrects them before the subject moves on to the next dot.<ref name= Bowie />
|title=Administration and interpretation of the trail making test |journal=Nature Protocols |year=2006 |first=C.R.C.R |last= Bowie |author2=P.D.P.D Harvey |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=2277–2281 |id= {{ProQuest|68327018}}|doi= 10.1038/nprot.2006.390|pmid=17406468 |s2cid=32511403 }}</ref> If the subject makes an error, the test administrator corrects it before the subject moves to the next dot.<ref name= Bowie />


The goal of the test is for the subject to finish both parts as quickly as possible, with the time taken to complete the test being used as the primary performance metric. The error rate is not recorded in the paper and pencil version of the test, however, it is assumed that if errors are made it will be reflected in the completion time. If the patient makes a mistake, the person administering the test tells them immediately and the patient is allowed to correct it. These mistakes affect scoring only if the time taken to correct them occurs within the time it takes to complete the task as a whole. <ref name="tombaugh" /> The second part of the test, in which the subject alternates between numbers and letters, is used to examine [[executive functioning]].<ref name="tombaugh" /> The first part is used primarily to examine [[cognitive processing speed]].<ref name="tombaugh" />
The goal of the test is for the subject to finish both parts as quickly as possible, with the time taken to complete the test being used as the primary performance metric. The error rate is not recorded in the paper version of the test; instead, time spent correcting errors extends the completion time.<ref name="tombaugh" /> The second part of the test, in which the subject alternates between numbers and letters, is used to examine [[executive functioning]].<ref name="tombaugh" /> The first part is used primarily to examine [[cognitive processing speed]].<ref name="tombaugh" />


==Puntuación==
==Score==
Scoring is based on time taken to complete the test (e.g. 35 seconds yielding a score of 35) with lower scores being better. Different norms are available that allow comparison with age-matched groups.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lezak|first=Muriel Deutsch|url=|title=Neuropsychological assessment|date=2012|others=Diane B. Howieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tranel|isbn=978-0-19-539552-5|edition=5|location=Oxford|oclc=}}</ref>
Su puntuación será el tiempo que haya tardado en realizarlo, siendo una puntuación de 35 si ha tardado 35 segundos en realizarlo, por lo que cuanta mayor puntuación mayor discapacidad.


==Time to complete==
==Time to complete==
The entire test takes between 10 and 30 minutes. The average times to complete part A and B are 29 and 75 seconds, respectively. A patient is considered impaired if part A takes more than 78 seconds, and part B takes more than 273 seconds. It is not necessary to continue the test if a patient cannot complete parts A and B within 5 minutes.
The entire test usually takes between 5 and 30 minutes. The average times to complete part A and B are 29 and 75 seconds, respectively. It is not necessary to continue the test if a patient cannot complete parts A and B within 5 minutes.


==Población y utilidad==
==Population and usefulness==
The population to be assessed includes adolescents, adults and the elderly.
La población que se evalúa comprende a los adolescentes, adultos y ancianos.


The usefulness of this test in 1944 was to assess general intelligence, but in the 1950s researchers began to use it to assess cognitive dysfunction resulting from brain damage. It is now used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. It can also detect cognitive impairment associated with dementia.
La utilidad que tiene esta prueba en el año 1944 fue para evaluar la inteligencia general pero en la década de los 50 los investigadores la empezaron a usar para evaluar la disfunción cognitiva derivada del daño cerebral. Actualmente se usa como instrumento para diagnósticos en ámbitos clínicos. Puede proporcionar información sobre la velocidad de búsqueda visual, la velocidad de procesamiento, el escaneo, el funcionamiento ejecutivo y la flexibilidad mental. Asimismo permite detectar el deterioro cognitivo asociado con la demencia.


==References==
==References==
Line 41: Line 41:


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Handbook of Psychological Assessment |last=Groth-Marnat |first=Gary |date=2009 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken (NJ) |isbn=978-0-470-08358-1 |edition=Fifth |lay-url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470083581.html |lay-date=11 September 2010 }}
*{{cite book |title=Handbook of Psychological Assessment |last=Groth-Marnat |first=Gary |date=2009 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken (NJ) |isbn=978-0-470-08358-1 |edition=Fifth}}
*{{cite book |title=A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary |last1=Strauss |first1=Esther |last2=Sherman |first2=Elizabeth M. |last3=Spreen |first3=Otfried |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-515957-8 |url=http://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-compendium-of-neuropsychological-tests-9780195159578 |accessdate=14 July 2013 }}
*{{cite book |title=A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary |last1=Strauss |first1=Esther |last2=Sherman |first2=Elizabeth M. |last3=Spreen |first3=Otfried |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-515957-8 |url=http://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-compendium-of-neuropsychological-tests-9780195159578 |accessdate=14 July 2013 }}


Latest revision as of 15:44, 27 December 2023

Trail Making Test
Part A sample
MeSHD014145

The Trail Making Test is a neuropsychological test of visual attention and task switching. It has two parts, in which the subject is instructed to connect a set of 25 dots as quickly as possible while maintaining accuracy.[1] The test can provide information about visual search speed, scanning, speed of processing, mental flexibility, and executive functioning.[1] It is sensitive to cognitive impairment associated with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.[2]

History

[edit]

The test was created by Ralph Reitan, an American neuropsychologist considered one of the fathers of clinical neuropsychology. The test was used in 1944 for assessing general intelligence, and was part of the Army Individual Test of General Ability.[3] In the 1950s[4][5] researchers began using the test to assess cognitive dysfunction stemming from brain damage, and it has since been incorporated into the Halstead–Reitan battery.[3] The Trail Making Test is now commonly used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. Poor performance is known to be associated with many types of brain impairment, in particular frontal lobe lesion.

Method and interpretation

[edit]

The task requires the subject to connect 25 consecutive targets on a sheet of paper or a computer screen, in a manner to like that employed in connect-the-dots exercises. There are two parts to the test. In the first, the targets are all the whole numbers from 1 to 25, and the subject must connect them in numerical order. In the second part, thirteen of the dots are numbered from 1 to 13 and twelve are given the letters from A to L; the subject must connect the dots in order while alternating letters and numbers (1–A–2–B–3–C ...) as fast as possible without lifting the pen from the paper.[6] If the subject makes an error, the test administrator corrects it before the subject moves to the next dot.[6]

The goal of the test is for the subject to finish both parts as quickly as possible, with the time taken to complete the test being used as the primary performance metric. The error rate is not recorded in the paper version of the test; instead, time spent correcting errors extends the completion time.[3] The second part of the test, in which the subject alternates between numbers and letters, is used to examine executive functioning.[3] The first part is used primarily to examine cognitive processing speed.[3]

Score

[edit]

Scoring is based on time taken to complete the test (e.g. 35 seconds yielding a score of 35) with lower scores being better. Different norms are available that allow comparison with age-matched groups.[7]

Time to complete

[edit]

The entire test usually takes between 5 and 30 minutes. The average times to complete part A and B are 29 and 75 seconds, respectively. It is not necessary to continue the test if a patient cannot complete parts A and B within 5 minutes.

Population and usefulness

[edit]

The population to be assessed includes adolescents, adults and the elderly.

The usefulness of this test in 1944 was to assess general intelligence, but in the 1950s researchers began to use it to assess cognitive dysfunction resulting from brain damage. It is now used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. It can also detect cognitive impairment associated with dementia.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Arnett, James A.; Seth S. Labovitz (1995). "Effect of physical layout in performance of the Trail Making Test". Psychological Assessment. 7 (2): 220–221. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.7.2.220. ProQuest 614331919.
  2. ^ Cahn, D. A.; et al. (1995). "Detection of dementia of the Alzheimer type in a population-based sample: Neuropsychological test performance". Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 800 (3): 252–260. doi:10.1017/s1355617700000242. PMID 9375219. S2CID 26793774.
  3. ^ a b c d e Tombaugh, T.N.T.N (2004). "Trail Making test A and B: Normative Data Stratified by Age and Education". Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 19 (2): 203–214. doi:10.1016/s0887-6177(03)00039-8. PMID 15010086. ProQuest 71715116.
  4. ^ R. M. Reitan, R. M. (1955). The relation of the trail making test to organic brain damage. Journal of Consulting Psychology
  5. ^ Reitan, R. M. (1958). "Validity of the Trail Making test as an indicator of organic brain damage". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 8 (3): 271–276. doi:10.2466/pms.1958.8.3.271. S2CID 144077004.
  6. ^ a b Bowie, C.R.C.R; P.D.P.D Harvey (2006). "Administration and interpretation of the trail making test". Nature Protocols. 1 (5): 2277–2281. doi:10.1038/nprot.2006.390. PMID 17406468. S2CID 32511403. ProQuest 68327018.
  7. ^ Lezak, Muriel Deutsch (2012). Neuropsychological assessment. Diane B. Howieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tranel (5 ed.). Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-539552-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Trail_Making_Test&oldid=1192098094"