USA Today Op-Ed Slams Trump's Cognitive Exam, Calls For Further Neurological And Psychological Testing
- 6 years ago
In a USA Today op-ed, Bandy Lee, an assistant clinical professor at Yale, and Norman Eisen, who served as former President Obama's ethics czar, say that President Trump should undergo further tests.
White House physician Ronny Jackson addressed questions about President Trump's mental fitness earlier this week by mentioning that the president aced a cognitive exam.
However, in a USA Today op-ed published Friday, Bandy Lee, an assistant clinical professor at Yale University, and Norman Eisen, who served as former President Obama's ethics czar, say that the testing done was insufficient, and "call for a responsible, thorough and accurate assessment that prevents irresponsible conclusions."
'All that he received was a brief screen, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, used to determine whether additional testing is needed for cognitive or Alzheimer's issues. Here, there are already ample indicators that additional testing is indicated, and the results prove little more than the limitations of a single simple screen," they write in the op-ed. "Better tests for intricate frontal lobe function include the California Verbal Learning Test, the Stroop Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and others. An MRI or PET scan would also have been helpful."
Besides the neurological exams, they argue for a psychological assessment where "urgent concerns also lie."
Dr. David Knopman, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, has also weighed in on the Montreal test, telling the Associated Press, "It's not considered definitive. It's ultimately only a first pass at cognition."
However, Jackson said during a press briefing on Tuesday that based on the results, he has no cognitive concerns about Trump.
"The fact that the President got 30 out of 30 on that exam, I think that there's no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues," Jackson said. "He's very sharp, and he's very articulate when he speaks to me. And I've never known him to repeat himself around me."
White House physician Ronny Jackson addressed questions about President Trump's mental fitness earlier this week by mentioning that the president aced a cognitive exam.
However, in a USA Today op-ed published Friday, Bandy Lee, an assistant clinical professor at Yale University, and Norman Eisen, who served as former President Obama's ethics czar, say that the testing done was insufficient, and "call for a responsible, thorough and accurate assessment that prevents irresponsible conclusions."
'All that he received was a brief screen, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, used to determine whether additional testing is needed for cognitive or Alzheimer's issues. Here, there are already ample indicators that additional testing is indicated, and the results prove little more than the limitations of a single simple screen," they write in the op-ed. "Better tests for intricate frontal lobe function include the California Verbal Learning Test, the Stroop Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and others. An MRI or PET scan would also have been helpful."
Besides the neurological exams, they argue for a psychological assessment where "urgent concerns also lie."
Dr. David Knopman, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, has also weighed in on the Montreal test, telling the Associated Press, "It's not considered definitive. It's ultimately only a first pass at cognition."
However, Jackson said during a press briefing on Tuesday that based on the results, he has no cognitive concerns about Trump.
"The fact that the President got 30 out of 30 on that exam, I think that there's no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues," Jackson said. "He's very sharp, and he's very articulate when he speaks to me. And I've never known him to repeat himself around me."