Methodological and Technical Issues of Tele-neuropsychology: Remote Cognitive Assessment and Intervention Across the Life Span.

Tele-neuropsychology (t-NPs) has emerged as a crucial area of research, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when remote cognitive assessment and intervention became necessary due to social distancing measures. This shift has demonstrated the potential feasibility of t-NPs as a viable form of healthcare delivery, offering an alternative to traditional in-person evaluations. Recent studies and meta-analyses have provided some support for the diagnostic capabilities of t-NPs, reporting on their validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity, and clinical usability. These findings are particularly relevant for multi-domain screening tools assessing cognition, mood/anxiety, and quality of life in both healthy adults/elderly and neurological patients. Despite these advancements, there remain significant gaps in the definition of feasible t-NPs protocols for both diagnostic and follow-up visits, where the conjugate use of multiple remotely validated tools is necessary for proper cognitive-emotional and behavioral profiling of the patient and monitoring over time. In this vein, a similar principle can be applied to the remote assessment methodology of the pediatric population.
This research topic aims to increase knowledge about the applications of telehealth in the field of neuropsychological assessment and cognitive intervention across the lifespan. Specifically, it seeks to evaluate the reliability of tele-administered neuropsychological tests compared to their face-to-face counterparts and to gather normative data for tele-administered versions of classical neuropsychological tools. The research will also explore models for various types of virtual visits, including clinical interviews, consultations, follow-up visits and rehabilitation sessions, as well as patient and provider experiences and satisfaction with telemedicine. Furthermore, the research will address issues of digital literacy and social and financial barriers to the effective implementation of t-NPs.

To gather further insights into the methodological and technical issues of tele-neuropsychology, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Comparative studies on the reliability and validity of tele-administered versus face-to-face neuropsychological tests.
• Normative data collection for tele-administered neuropsychological tools.
• Models for virtual visit types, including clinical interviews, consultations, and follow-up visits.
• Models of remote cognitive rehabilitation
• Patient and provider experiences and satisfaction with tele-neuropsychology.
• Digital literacy and its impact on the effectiveness of tele-neuropsychology.
• Social and financial barriers to the implementation of tele-neuropsychology.
• Tele-neuropsychology applications in pediatric populations.
• Ethical considerations in tele-neuropsychology practice.