This first project objective is directed to developing a comprehensive computer interactive neuropsychologic test battery that is sensitive for detecting subtle disturbances of cerebral integrity. This task will be accomplished accessing a panel of six neuropsychologists, an expert systems specialist and a software architect. Validity of this neuropsychologic assessment protocol for detecting CNS dysfunction will be then established on cases of early stage dementia and its lateralizing specificity on patients who have had either a left or right hemisphere stroke. Next, standardization will be conducted on 500 normal adolescents and adults. This sample will be stratified by age and gender and demographically representative of the general population. Concurrent to these activities, an expert system will be created. This latter task will enable dissemination of the final protocol to the widest possible user audience. Finally, the interactive test battery will be used to ascertain the prevalence and severity of neuropsychologic deficits in samples of adolescent and adult drug abusers. The ultimate goal of this research program is to devise a standard quantitative and comprehensive method for characterizing the cognitive and psychomotor capacities of drug abusers. The information obtained from such an assessment has potentially important ramifications for determining the timing of treatment, type of treatment and post-treatment vocational rehabilitation of drug abusers.
