Discrimination of brain damage from chronic psychosis by the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery: A closer look

Compared the performance of 51 brain-damaged (BD) patients (mean age 43.88 yrs) and 50 patients with chronic schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorder (SPHD or SAFD; mean age 40.50 yrs) on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB). LNNB data from independent samples of 267 BD patients (mean age 50.26 yrs) and 176 patients with SPHD or SAFD (mean age 37.97 yrs) were also analyzed. SPHD and SAFD Ss were discriminated from BD Ss at high levels by relatively few LNNB variables. Level of performance discrimination was compared with sampling criteria as bases of the high group discriminability. Hit rates appeared to be a function of the strictness of neurological inclusion criteria, so that hit rate differences among studies may be artifacts of sampling bias. The importance of demographic variable analysis is stressed. (13 ref)