Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Physicians Adopting New Test to Help Diagnose ADHD and AlzheimerÂ’s

Physicians Adopting New Test to Help Diagnose ADHD and AlzheimerÂ’s

A significant development in new screening tools for better detection of brain dysfunction is CNS Vital Signs, a simple-to-use computerized testing program for measuring the full range of cognitive impairment – from behavioral and learning problems in children to early signs of dementia in adults and brain injuries. June 2004 marked the one-year anniversary of the product’s introduction. During this first year, physicians and psychologists administered the program to thousands of patients throughout the world in routine clinical practice, in research, and in schools and workplaces.

CHAPEL HILL, NC (PRWEB) July 16, 2004

A recent Washington Congressional briefing on ADHD and unfolding details of President Reagan’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease highlight the critical need for better detection of brain dysfunction. A significant development in new screening tools is CNS Vital Signs, a simple-to-use computerized testing program for measuring the full range of cognitive impairment – from behavioral and learning problems in children to early signs of dementia in adults and brain injuries. June marked the one-year anniversary of the product’s introduction. During this first year, physicians and psychologists administered the program to thousands of patients throughout the world in routine clinical practice, in research, and in schools and workplaces.

CNS Vital Signs’ founder and board-certified psychiatrist, Thomas Gualtieri, M. D., said, “These cognitive tests help answer common questions patients have, such as, ‘Could my energetic child have ADHD?’ or ‘Is my mom able to drive?’” Dr. Gualtieri and colleagues at the North Carolina Neuropsychiatry Clinic have administered the tests to more than 2,500 patients seen in their clinic. Those patients tested range in age from 8 to 89 years old.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD or ADHD) affects an estimated 1 in 20 school-aged children. The AlzheimerÂ’s Association estimates that 4.5 million Americans have AlzheimerÂ’s disease.

Bob Patterson, M. D., who runs a family medical practice in Sanford, N. C., said, “This software lets me do a better job of treating my patients. Before CNS Vitals Signs came along, in suspected ADD cases, we relied mostly on the history from teachers and subjective answers to a list of questions. Remarkably, we now have this affordable test that the patient takes on a basic PC in our office in under 30 minutes and that produces instant, objective, and scientific results.”

CNS Vital Signs, based in Chapel Hill, N. C., was formed in 2002. The company introduced its CNS Vitals Signs software at the 2003 American Psychiatric Association annual conference. A fast, highly precise means for evaluating patients’ cognitive function, the user-friendly software helps detect problems sooner and helps quantify drug treatment effects. It consists of a computerized, condensed version of the gold standard tests that specialists have used for years to identify problems with memory, attention, and motor speed – areas that usually start to fail with any neurological condition before clinical symptoms develop. Similar neurological testing done by a specialized, referred physician can cost the patient $800 to $2500 and may take from 4 hours to 2 days. In contrast, the interactive CNS Vital Signs series of tests costs only a small fraction of that fee, is reimbursable by insurance and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Medical professionals and researchers can download the software, including a free evaluation version from the company website (http://www. cnsvitalsigns. com (http://www. cnsvitalsigns. com)). For more information, visit http://www. cnsvitalsigns. com (http://www. cnsvitalsigns. com)

MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Baker, tbaker@cnsvs. com or call 919-933-0932.

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