Is Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) effective for cognitive monitoring?

From the Guidelines

Yes, Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) has been shown to be effective for cognitive monitoring in various clinical settings, including concussion and traumatic brain injury 1.

Key Features of ANAM

• It is a computer-based system that assesses cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and processing speed.
• The test battery typically consists of 6-8 modules, each assessing a specific cognitive domain, and can be administered in approximately 30-60 minutes.
• ANAM has been used to monitor cognitive changes in individuals with traumatic brain injury, concussion, and other neurological conditions.

Clinical Utility of ANAM

• While results should be interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional, ANAM can provide valuable information on cognitive function and track changes over time, allowing for informed treatment decisions 1.
• As with any assessment tool, ANAM should be used in conjunction with other clinical evaluations and not relied upon as the sole means of diagnosis or monitoring.

Considerations for Use

• Baseline testing is recommended to maximize the clinical utility of ANAM, allowing for comparison of post-injury results to pre-injury cognitive function 1.
• ANAM has been shown to have good test-retest reliability, although some studies have raised concerns about bias due to the majority of research being conducted by the test developers 1.

From the Research

Effectiveness of ANAM for Cognitive Monitoring

• The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) has been shown to be effective in detecting neurocognitive impairment in various clinical populations, including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Parkinson's disease, acquired brain injury, migraine headaches, and Alzheimer's disease 2.
• Studies have demonstrated the utility of ANAM in evaluating concussion recovery, with results indicating that ANAM can accurately predict return to neurocognitive baseline 3.
• ANAM has also been validated as a cognitive screening tool for presence of confirmed neuropsychological diagnosis in an outpatient setting, with sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 91%, respectively 4.
• The construct validity of selected ANAM battery measures has been established, with correlations and regressions indicating significant relationships between traditional and computerized tests measuring similar constructs 5.
• A validity measure for ANAM, the ANAM Performance Validity Index (APVI), has been developed, and a proxy for the APVI can be estimated from raw subtest summary test scores, allowing for the interpretation of test data even when the APVI is not available 6.

Key Findings

• ANAM has good concurrent and predictive validity with well-established neuropsychological measures 2.
• ANAM can accurately predict return to neurocognitive baseline after concussion, with a pattern of scores that correlates with an expected length of recovery 3.
• ANAM can be used as an adjunct measure in evaluating the resolution of physiological symptoms following a concussive injury 3.
• Gender appears to be a factor in time between concussive injury and resolution of symptoms, with female service members requiring additional time for the resolution of physical symptoms compared to their male counterparts 3.