TURNS NP Conference Call Minutes April 17th, 2008

Attendees: Jim Gold, Trina Walker, Bob Kern, Rich Keefe, David Kimhy, Karen Nolan, RaquelleMesholam-Gately, Deanna Barch

Action Items in red

Merck additional tasks

  • A patient at UCLA had an unusual response pattern on 1-back – for many trials (~30), the patient failed to respond for every target trial (in which a right button click was necessary), but did fine on intervening non-target trials requiring a left button click.
  • Possible that their finger slipped off the button
  • Easier to imagine this if second button on the right wasn’t programmed
  • Bob will check with staff to ensure that both buttons have been assigned to target response
  • ***UPDATE*** The second button had not been assigned. This has been corrected.
  • For this case, group agreed that the 1-back data was invalid, but the remaining conditions were valid
  • One option for cases like this is to use statistical methods of imputing the missing data
  • Following the call, Jim and Deanna discussed several other cases of questionable data and decided for each whether the data was valid

MCCB

  • Trina has been keeping a spreadsheet with all requested changes and has been following up to make sure they are made on CRFs, tests and database
  • Most sites have been doing well
  • Trina has noticed some instances where test is scored correctly, correct score is entered on the CRF, but the wrong score is entered in the database
  • Database is single entry
  • Trina will continue to check that correct score entered into database
  • Are sites double checking scores locally?
  • Most sites reported that they were
  • All sites felt like testing was going well
  • NKI will be replacing all testers as they are leaving
  • Trina and Rich will look over revised MCCB scoring program
  • Rich questioned whether tables in manual are useful since many scores fall bellow 1%
  • Sites have complained that some phone numbers don’t seem to be active
  • Perhaps remove Barbarra Cornblatt’s number
  • Is there a way to order a new CD without ordering entire kit?
  • Should contact the distributer from whom they purchased the kit
  • MSCEIT
  • WashU. had to change some ages
  • None of the scores changed
  • Bob found very little effect of age on MSCEIT in J AM Psych paper
  • Duke will continue to review every test

SCORS

  • Need to have informant baseline SCORS assessment completed within one week of baseline neurocognitive testing session
  • If informant has seen patient since they started drug, can’t use them for baseline data

CRFs

  • Some sites are using outdated CRFs
  • Current versions are:
  • MCCB January 11th2008
  • UPSA September 21st 2007
  • N-back July 18th 2007
  • AX-CPT May 9th 2007
  • Sites should contact NKI if they need an up to date CRF