Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (686 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Neuropsychological Test; Test, Neuropsychological; Tests, Neuropsychological; Neuropsychologic Tests; Neuropsychologic Test; Neuropsychological Testing; Testing, Neuropsychological; Memory for Designs Test.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Psychological Tests
- Narrower topics
- Bender-Gestalt Test; Language Tests; Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery; Memory and Learning Tests; Mental Navigation Tests; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Stroop Test; Trail Making Test; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 208,319 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Neuropsychological Tests” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 30,304 of them (14.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 85,867 records.
Reviews account for 12,717 records (6.1%) and meta-analyses for 1,741. Randomized controlled trials number 15,637 (7.5%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 37,532 |
| 2000-2009 | 54,616 |
| 2010-2019 | 85,867 |
| 2020 onward | 30,304 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 12,717 | 6.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 1,741 | 0.8% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 15,637 | 7.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Neuropsychological Tests"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in psychiatry and psychology
Research on mental health and behaviour relies on questionnaires, interviews and rating scales rather than physical measurements, so how a condition was defined and measured shapes every result. Many studies are observational or small, placebo responses can be large, and findings in one group or culture may not carry over to another. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a qualified clinician. Check how outcomes were measured, who took part and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications of the Stroop Paradigm in Tinnitus: a Scoping Review | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 41272976 · DOI · PMC12638447 |
| Minor neuropsychological deficits and stage 2 of Alzheimer's disease | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42129577 · DOI · PMC13171462 |
| What is being measured by formal thought disorder scales? An item-level content analysis | 2026 | Systematic review Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41969055 · DOI · PMC13079215 |
Applications of the Stroop Paradigm in Tinnitus: a Scoping Review [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionThe Stroop paradigm is important for assessing top-down attentional control.
- Closing excerpt
- However, the current body of evidence is limited in quality and consistency, highlighting the need for more rigorous and standardized research to better inform its clinical applicability.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (293 words)
IntroductionThe Stroop paradigm is important for assessing top-down attentional control. Considering that tinnitus has been linked to cognitive dysfunctions, the present study intends to investigate Stroop's application in the tinnitus population.MethodsThis is a scoping review, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, performed until December 2024. Searches were conducted in the MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), PsycINFO (APA), SCOPUS (Elsevier), and Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) databases. Studies were selected based on the following criteria: Types of participants: subjects with tinnitus (with no age limit); types of intervention: the Stroop paradigm applied to tinnitus population, isolated or combined with other evaluations or interventions for the tinnitus; types of study: original articles of different designs, with no language and publication date limits. Studies that used evaluations or intervention forms other than the Stroop paradigm, papers exclusively on other health conditions, congress or conferences' material, and studies not available in the database and/or as a full text were excluded. Results were presented and qualitatively assessed based on the Critically Appraised Topics (CAT).Results369 records were identified in the searching stage, and 22 studies were selected for data extraction. Author/date, Stroop paradigm application, Stroop methodology adopted, outcomes measures for Stroop, and level of evidence were extracted. The most common application for Stroop in tinnitus subjects was cognitive function assessment, followed by neuronal connectivity assessment during the task, development of auditory training strategies, and measurement before and after surgical treatment. The main methodology adopted for Stroop was based on conventional Stroop tasks.ConclusionStroop applications to the tinnitus population were diverse, considering methodologies and finalities. Results showed that Stroop can highlight top-down cognitive control in the tinnitus population. However, the current body of evidence is limited in quality and consistency, highlighting the need for more rigorous and standardized research to better inform its clinical applicability.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41272976 · DOI · PMC12638447
Minor neuropsychological deficits and stage 2 of Alzheimer's disease [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionSubtle symptoms, like subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and minor neuropsychological deficits (MNPD), can improve the risk stratification in preclinical Alzheimer´s disease (AD) but their importance is insufficiently elaborated.
- Closing excerpt
- DiscussionSCD and MNPD offer a powerful approach for risk stratification in preclinical AD, which can improve clinical trial designs, risk counseling, and future case identifications for early treatment.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (147 words)
IntroductionSubtle symptoms, like subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and minor neuropsychological deficits (MNPD), can improve the risk stratification in preclinical Alzheimer´s disease (AD) but their importance is insufficiently elaborated.MethodsWe pooled data from cognitively normal individuals participating in three longitudinal cohort studies (N = 13,192, 8,359[63.3%] female, mean [SD] age 71.0[8.4]).ResultsCompared to participants without SCD and MNPD (SCD-/MNPD-), SCD-/MNPD+, SCD+/MNPD-, and SCD+/MNPD+ participants had an increased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, including in amyloid-positive individuals. Focusing on SCD+/MNPD+ participants triples the positive predictive value of amyloid biomarker testing for the 5-year prediction of MCI and reduces the required samples size for trials in preclinical AD to one fourth, compared to considering all cognitively normal participants regardless of subtle symptoms.DiscussionSCD and MNPD offer a powerful approach for risk stratification in preclinical AD, which can improve clinical trial designs, risk counseling, and future case identifications for early treatment.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42129577 · DOI · PMC13171462
What is being measured by formal thought disorder scales? An item-level content analysis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundFormal thought disorder (FTD), characterized by disruptions in the flow and form of thought, is a core feature of psychosis.
- Closing excerpt
- We highlight the need for a consensus-based, standardized measurement of FTD and provide a comprehensive checklist to advance the research and clinical practice.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (246 words)
BackgroundFormal thought disorder (FTD), characterized by disruptions in the flow and form of thought, is a core feature of psychosis. But its measurement is fragmented across numerous rating scales, leading to its continued neglect in both research and clinical practice. To determine if different FTD scales measure the same underlying construct, we need to assess the degree to which the content of commonly used FTD scales overlaps with each other.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review to identify all standardized, clinician-rated scales used to measure FTD in psychotic disorders. From this set, we extracted individual items and derived a consensus list of 56 discrete FTD phenomena. Two independent clinical experts conducted item-to-item mapping for every scale item onto these FTD phenomena. Content overlap between scales was quantified using Jaccard Similarity Index (JSI). We determined the overall coverage achieved via several combinations of FTD scales.ResultsThe 15 scales, comprising 207 items, showed weak content overlap. The mean JSI across all scale pairs was low, and no single phenomenon featured across all scales. While some core FTD phenomena (e.g. 'incoherence', 'poor speech content', 'drifting-off') were represented in many scales, 20% of all identified features were idiosyncratic, appearing in only one scale.ConclusionsExisting FTD rating scales capture a wide but heterogeneous array of symptoms with poor content overlap. This lack of harmonization challenges the comparability of mechanistic and interventional studies. We highlight the need for a consensus-based, standardized measurement of FTD and provide a comprehensive checklist to advance the research and clinical practice.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41969055 · DOI · PMC13079215
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study [4]
- Research article Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review [5]
- Research article Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis [6]
- Research article Neurocognitive deficit in schizophrenia: a quantitative review of the evidence [7]
- Research article Meta-analysis of 41 functional neuroimaging studies of executive function in schizophrenia [8]
- Research article A re-examination of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) cutoff scores [9]
References
- Barros ACMP, Gil D, Suzuki FAB, Carmo ACFD, Onishi ET, Branco-Barreiro FCA. Applications of the Stroop Paradigm in Tinnitus: a Scoping Review. . 2025. PMID 41272976 · DOI · PMC12638447
- Stark M, Wagner M, Kuhn E, Roeske S, Amthauer H, Bartels C, et al.. Minor neuropsychological deficits and stage 2 of Alzheimer's disease. . 2026. PMID 42129577 · DOI · PMC13171462
- Sreeraj VS, Voppel A, Venkatasubramanian G, Palaniyappan L. What is being measured by formal thought disorder scales? An item-level content analysis. . 2026. PMID 41969055 · DOI · PMC13079215
- Colcombe S, Kramer AF. Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study. Psychol Sci. 2003. PMID 12661673 · DOI
- Willcutt EG, Doyle AE, Nigg JT, Faraone SV, Pennington BF. Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Biol Psychiatry. 2005. PMID 15950006 · DOI
- Plummer F, Manea L, Trepel D, McMillan D. Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2016. PMID 26719105 · DOI
- Heinrichs RW, Zakzanis KK. Neurocognitive deficit in schizophrenia: a quantitative review of the evidence. Neuropsychology. 1998. PMID 9673998 · DOI
- Minzenberg MJ, Laird AR, Thelen S, Carter CS, Glahn DC. Meta-analysis of 41 functional neuroimaging studies of executive function in schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009. PMID 19652121 · DOI · PMC2888482
- Carson N, Leach L, Murphy KJ. A re-examination of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) cutoff scores. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018. PMID 28731508 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.