NeuroCart®

An overview of the NeuroCart tests

• Adaptive tracking (attention, visuomotor coordination, fine motor skills)

  Adaptive tracking measures visuomotor coordination and vigilance. Adaptive tracking is particularly sensitive to drugs that can induce ataxia. In this test, the subject uses a joystick to move a small dot so that it stays within a continuously moving circle on a computer screen. During the test, the speed of the circle is adjusted in response to the subject’s ability to keep the dot in the circle, ensuring that the test is adapted to the individual subject.

• Body sway (motor coordination, postural balance)

  The body sway test measures the subject’s body movements in a single direction (usually forward/backward movement). Body sway is measured while the subject stands with his/her eyes closed, similar to the Romberg test.

• N-back test (working memory)

  The N-back test is a cognitive task used to assess working memory and attention. Participants are presented with a sequence of stimuli (e.g., letters or numbers) and must identify when the current stimulus matches one presented N steps earlier. The difficulty increases as the value of N rises, testing memory capacity and cognitive flexibility

• VAS Bond & Lader (subjective mood rating scale)

  The VAS Bond & Lader is a visual analogue scale used to assess subjective feelings of mood and alertness. It consists of a line, with endpoints representing extreme feelings such as "calm" to "anxious" or "alert" to "drowsy." Participants mark a point on the line that best represents their current state, and the position is later quantified to give a score.

• VAS Bowdle (subjective sensation intensity rating scale)

  The VAS Bowdle is a visual analogue scale used to assess subjective feelings of sedation or sleepiness. It consists of a line with endpoints representing opposite feelings, such as "alert" and "sedated." Participants mark a point on the line that best reflects their current state of sedation.

• Saccadic eye movement measurement (alertness, vigilance)

  Saccadic eye movements are highly sensitive and specific measures of the subject’s alertness, sedation and tranquillity. Saccadic peak velocity is one of the most sensitive measures of alertness currently available in drug research. The subject is instructed to continuously look at a dot of light on a computer screen. As the dot ‘jumps’ from side to side on the screen, the eyes’ movements are monitored.

• Smooth pursuit eye movement measurement (visuomotor coordination)

  Measuring smooth pursuit eye movements provides a measure of the subject’s coordination. In this test, the subject is instructed to follow a dot of light with the eyes as the dot moves smoothly from side to side on a computer screen.

• Visual verbal learning test (episodic memory)

  The Visual Verbal Learning Test (VVLT) is a cognitive assessment used to measure verbal memory, learning, and recall abilities. In the test, participants are presented with a list of words, which they must memorise and later recall. The test typically involves multiple trials, with participants asked to remember and reproduce the words or items presented.

• EEG

  Pharmacology coupled with EEG recording can be used to quantify ‘general’ effects of CNS drugs. At CHDR, various EEG approaches can be performed, depending on the compound being tested and sponsor’s specific needs, and include EEG recordings based on International Pharmaco-EEG Society (IPEG). Read more one EEG here.

• Milner Maze Test (spatial learning and memory)

  The Milner Maze Test (MMT) is a spatial working memory test where volunteers use trial and error to locate a hidden 28-step pathway beneath a 10×10 grid of tiles. The test includes thirty maze versions to ensure different paths in each trial. There are three trial types: Immediate (same path repeated five times), Delayed (same path once), and Reversed (path in the opposite direction). Spatial working memory is assessed through improved accuracy and speed across these trials.

• Finger tapping test (fine motor skills, coordination, neurological function)

  The finger tapping task is a simple motor test commonly used to assess fine motor control, coordination and neurological function. During the task, participants are asked to tap their finger (or fingers) against an iPad at a rapid pace for a set period of time, often with one hand or both hands simultaneously. The number of taps or the speed at which the participant can perform the task is measured. This task is used to evaluate cognitive and motor functions, and it can help detect neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease or other disorders that affect motor skills.