answers, the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological
Batterywas developed (Halstead, 1947; Reitan &
Davison, 1974). This is now undoubtedly the
most widely used test battery. The battery, as
generally used, consists of several measures: the
Category Test, the Seashore Rhythm Test, the Fin-
ger Oscillation Test, the Speech-Sounds Perception
Test, the Tactile Performance Test, the Trail-
Making Test, the Strength of Grip Test, the
Sensory-Perceptual Examination, the Finger Local-
ization Test, the Fingertip Number Writing
Perception Test, the Tactile Form Recognition
Test, and the Aphasia Screening Test. These tests
may be supplemented by the MMPI-2 and the
WAIS-IV. The scale can be used with people
aged 15 years and older; other versions can be
used with children ages 9 to 14 and 5 to 8.
The Halstead-Reitan battery is used to provide
information about the probable localization of lesions
and whether they appear to be of gradual or sudden
onset. It also suggests something about specific psycho-
logicaldeficitsthatatherapistshouldnote.Thebattery
can take more than 6 hours to administer. Many clinics
have trained technicians to do this work so that clin-
icians are not bogged down in lengthy procedures of
administration and can concentrate instead on the
complexities of interpretation.
Both the validity and the reliability of the
Halstead-Reitan are supported by a number of
studies across a wide range of age groups (e.g.,
Goldstein, 1997). The major weaknesses of the
test battery are its length, cumbersomeness, and rel-
ative neglect of certain areas of functioning, such as
memory (Goldstein, 1997; Lezak et al., 2004). A
brief case report summary based on the Halstead-
Reitan and other tests is shown in Box 18-3.The Luria-Nebraska Battery. As an alternative
to the Halstead-Reitan, theLuria-Nebraska battery
consists of 269 separate tasks comprising 11 subtests:BOX18-3 Focus on Clinical Applications: A Brief Neuropsychological Report Based on
Halstead-Reitan and Other InformationName: Mr. Y.
Date of Birth: 8-29-26
Occupation: Retired Air Force Pilot–USAF
Education: 18 Years (Master’s Degree)Referral Information
Mr. Y. is a 57-year-old white male who is retired from
the United States Air Force. For the past several years
he has noticed a decline in his perception, mechanical
abilities, reaction time, driving abilities, and ability to
read and produce cursive handwriting. He reports that
the symptoms have been especially pronounced over
the past two to three years. Dr.———requested a
neuropsychological evaluation in order to evaluate the
presence and/or extent of organic impairment.Summary and Recommendations- Neuropsychological assessment reveals severe
impairment in several areas of functioning, such
as severe constructional difficulties and problems
on all tasks requiring nonverbal and visual-spatial
abilities, including memory for visual information.
These areas of deficit point to a pathological
process in the right parietal-occipital area of the
brain. The possibility of major structural damage
in this area should be investigated thoroughly.- Mr. Y.’s verbal abilities as well as verbal memory
have been preserved and are, in general, in the
superior range. - Personality assessment reveals that Mr. Y. is suf-
fering from a moderate depression accompanied
by worry and rumination. This appears to be of a
rather long-standing nature rather than being an
acute emotional reaction. - The patient’s neuropsychological deficits cannot
be attributed to his depression. - In light of our findings, a careful review of the
patient’s capabilities both at work and at home
should be made with him and his wife. - As this information is worked through, supportive
psychotherapy would be helpful. - A current neurological reevaluation is
recommended.
SOURCE: From“Overview of the Halstead-Reitan Battery,”by O. A.
Parsons, pp. 179–180. In T. Incagndi, G. Goldstein, and C. J. Golden (Eds.),
Clinical Application of Neuropsychological Test Batteries. Copyright
© 1986 by Plenum Publishing Corporation. Reprinted by permission.
528 CHAPTER 18