DIGITAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY
SPAIn Battery
Assessment of processing speed with millisecond precision
Ten brief tests that identify where the slowing is occurring: whether the problem lies in seeing, deciding, moving the hand, remembering, filtering distractions, or switching tasks. A key tool for guiding diagnosis and planning rehabilitation.
10
BRIEF TESTS
≈ 75′
DURATION
18–80
AGE RANGE
ms
PRECISION
· Development: UCM · UNED · NeuronUP | Authors: Periáñez, Lubrini, Ríos-Lago
· Reference data: by age, sex, and education level | Clinical groups: brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease
THE PROBLEM
Why measure processing speed?
When a person takes longer than usual to react, understand, or make decisions, their daily life is affected: forgetfulness, difficulties at work, fatigue while driving, or problems following conversations.
This slowing may underlie many other apparent cognitive problems, and often goes unnoticed in traditional paper-and-pencil tests. SPAIn is designed precisely to detect it, quantify it, and explain what is causing it.
INSTRUMENT FEATURES
A standardized digital platform
SPAIn combines classic reaction time tests by automatically recording each response and generating a report with multiple ready-to-interpret indicators.
01
Millisecond precision
The system measures each response with far greater accuracy than a manual stopwatch. It captures very small changes that would go unnoticed with other tests and is especially useful for clinical follow-up.
02
Problem identification
The tasks isolate the different stages of processing one by one: seeing, deciding, moving, remembering, controlling impulses. By comparing the results, the exact point where the difficulty appears can be located.
03
Standardized administration
All tests follow the same format: initial questionnaire, practice, real test, and final questionnaire on fatigue and perceived performance. The professional also adds qualitative observations.
CLINICAL BENEFITS
Practical information for clinical decisions
Beyond a numerical score, SPAIn provides professionals with information that translates directly into specific decisions.
It identifies subtle changes that are not yet evident in conventional tests. It makes it possible to act earlier in mild cognitive impairment, early stages of neurodegenerative diseases, or after a brain injury.
Differential diagnosis
It helps distinguish whether the difficulty is due to general slowing, attention deficits, memory failure, or a motor problem. Key when symptoms are ambiguous or overlap between conditions.
Tailored rehabilitation
Knowing which component is affected makes it possible to design rehabilitation targeted at the real problem. Training pure speed is not the same as training attention under pressure or the ability to inhibit responses.
Monitoring progress
The tests can be repeated without the patient “learning” the answer. Ideal for checking whether a treatment is working, whether the disease is progressing, or whether the person is recovering after an acute episode.
Communicable results
The numerical data and comparative graphs with the reference population make it possible to explain to the patient and their family what is happening and why. This improves understanding, adherence, and motivation.
Support for daily life
Objective information to assess the suitability of activities such as driving, returning to work, managing finances, or performing tasks that require quick reactions and sustained attention.
SCIENTIFIC BASIS
Consolidated theoretical foundations
Attention, working memory, executive functions, and processing speed are closely connected: if one fails, the others are often affected. SPAIn integrates models by Diamond, Miyake, Posner, and Baddeley.
Reaction time tasks are one of the most sensitive tools for detecting cognitive changes, even when other better-known tests produce apparently normal results.
Numerous studies show that much of what appears to be “memory failure” or “attention failure” is actually explained by an underlying slowing in processing.
| Attention | Ability to stay alert, orient oneself, and focus on what matters. |
| Working memory | Ability to keep information “in mind” and handle it while performing a task. |
| Executive functions | Ability to inhibit impulses, change plans, organize oneself, and make decisions. |
| Processing speed | Speed at which the brain understands, decides, and responds to the information it receives. |
THE TEN TESTS
From simple to complex
The tests are ordered from the simplest to the most complex. This makes it possible to check whether the difficulty affects basic processes (moving, seeing) or only appears when the brain is required to do more (remembering, deciding, switching tasks).
▍ Basic speed · Tests 1–2 · Motor and perceptual components
01 · FT
Motor speed (Finger Tapping)
The patient presses the space bar as quickly as possible for 10 seconds. Five series are performed with each hand, starting with the right.
What it measures: speed of movement, without any further cognitive demand.
Clinical utility: detecting motor slowing or asymmetries (Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis).
02 · SRT
Simple reaction time
The patient must press a key as soon as a circle appears on the screen. It is the most basic “see and react” test.
What it measures: speed in detecting a stimulus and responding.
Clinical utility: assessing alertness and ruling out basic sensory or motor problems before interpreting more complex tasks.
▍ Attention and response control · Tests 3–5
03 · Go/No-Go
Speed and impulsivity
The patient must press for any number from 1 to 9, except when the number 3 appears (they must inhibit the response and not respond).
What it measures: ability to maintain attention and inhibit the automatic response.
Clinical utility: detecting impulsivity, self-control failures, and “lapses” characteristic of ADHD, frontal damage, or after a stroke.
04 · CRT
Choice reaction time
The patient must respond with the left hand if a square appears and with the right hand if a circle appears. They must decide before acting.
What it measures: speed in distinguishing and choosing the correct response.
Clinical utility: assessing speed in making simple decisions, essential for driving or work.
05 · VIS
Visual search with distraction
The patient must find the letter “Z” among series of six letters. In some series, the distractors are very similar to the target, and in others they are not.
What it measures: ability to locate what matters and ignore what is distracting.
Clinical utility: explains complaints such as “I can’t find things” or “I get lost among papers” after a brain injury or in multiple sclerosis.
▍ Working memory · Tests 6–9 · N-Back tasks
06 · 1-Back Num
Memory with numbers (low load)
The patient must press when the number they see is the same as the one shown immediately before.
What it measures: ability to retain brief information and compare it with the next one.
Clinical utility: assessing short-term memory under simple conditions.
07 · 2-Back Num
Memory with numbers (high load)
The patient must respond when the current number matches the one shown two positions back.
What it measures: keeping several things in mind at the same time and updating them.
Clinical utility: detecting difficulties following conversations, complex instructions, or demanding intellectual work.
08 · 1-Back Spat
Spatial memory (low load)
The patient must respond when the circle appears in the same position as on the previous screen. There are nine possible positions, in a 3 × 3 matrix.
What it measures: remembering where things were a moment ago.
Clinical utility: assessing visual and spatial memory, useful for orientation.
09 · 2-Back Spat
Spatial memory (high load)
The patient must respond when the current position of the circle matches the one it had two screens before.
What it measures: handling several locations in mind at once.
Clinical utility: sensitive to alterations after traumatic brain injury or in pathological aging.
▍ Mental flexibility · Test 10 · Task switching
10 · Task Switching
Cognitive flexibility (task switching)
The patient receives a symbol (“×” or “+”) that tells them which rule to apply to the number that appears afterward: say whether it is even or odd, or whether it is greater or less than 5. The rules keep changing.
What it measures: ability to change mental criteria without making mistakes.
Clinical utility: detecting cognitive rigidity and difficulties adapting to changing situations, common after frontal damage.
REPORT
Results provided by the report
Each test generates direct and derived results, automatically compared with people of the same age, sex, and education level.
Basic results
- Mean response time (ms)
- Hits and errors in each condition
- Missed responses and premature responses
- Response stability (variability)
- Comparison with the reference population (percentiles)
Profile indicators
- Balance between speed and accuracy
- Ability to distinguish what matters from what is distracting
- Task-switching cost
- Reaction after making an error (self-correction)
- Impact of distractors
Behavior
- Onset of fatigue during the task
- Learning curve
- Differences between left and right hand
- How the patient feels before and after
- Professional’s notes
CONFIGURATIONS
Available configurations
Administer the full battery or use shorter groupings depending on what you want to assess.
| Configuration | Composition | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPAIn | The 10 complete tests | Broad cognitive profile of the patient | ≈ 75 min |
| SPAIn-VPM | Finger Tapping Simple reaction time Choice reaction time | Basic speed for seeing, deciding, and moving the hand | ≈ 15–20 min |
| SPAIn-MO | Numerical 1-Back and 2-Back Spatial 1-Back and 2-Back | Verbal and visual working memory | ≈ 25–30 min |
CLINICAL APPLICATION
Clinical application by pathology
SPAIn does not stop at saying “this patient is slow”: it shows in which type of task the slowing appears and in which ones the patient performs well.
| Pathology | What is usually affected | What is usually preserved |
|---|---|---|
| Traumatic brain injury Viejo, 2014 | Movement and response selection | Perception, simple decisions, and visual search |
| Multiple sclerosis Lubrini, 2016; 2020 | Motor speed, perception, and visual search | Impulse control and simple decision-making |
| Multiple sclerosis with depression Lubrini, 2020 | Difficulty making decisions is added | — |
| Parkinson’s disease Arroyo, 2021 | Movement and basic reaction speed | More complex cognitive processes |
| Depression | Slowing appears only in the most demanding tasks | Basic processes |
| Schizophrenia | General slowing, present from the outset | Generalized pattern |
PATIENT PROFILE
Patients who may benefit
SPAIn is useful in any condition in which slowing, cognitive fatigue, or attention difficulties are part of the problem.
Multiple sclerosis
It quantifies cognitive fatigue and slowing, which are often the first signs and the ones that most limit daily life.
Acquired brain injury
It assesses recovery, helps decide when to return to work or driving, and guides cognitive rehabilitation.
Parkinson’s disease
It objectively measures slowness of movement and thought, useful for diagnosis and medication adjustment.
Mild cognitive impairment
It detects subtle changes that may be an early warning sign of more serious problems and makes it possible to act sooner.
Normal aging
It reassures the patient and family when the changes are expected for their age and do not indicate disease.
Mood disorders
It assesses how depression or anxiety is affecting cognitive performance in daily life.
Schizophrenia
A sensitive and objective measure of cognitive performance, independent of the most visible symptoms of the condition.
ADHD and similar conditions
It quantifies impulsivity, lapses, and attentional fatigue—useful data to support diagnosis and assess treatment.
Treatment follow-up
It objectively checks whether medication, rehabilitation, or an intervention is working.
HOW IT IS ADMINISTERED
Practical administration
SPAIn is designed to be administered rigorously in the clinical setting. These are the technical and administration conditions.
| Duration | Approximately 75 min (full battery) |
| Devices | Computer or horizontal tablet. No mobile phones or small tablets |
| Posture | Seated ~50 cm from the screen, arms supported, index fingers |
| Professional | Supervised by a neuropsychologist or equivalent |
| Environment | Quiet room, free of distractions |
| Prior practice | Practice trials before each test |
| Prior data | Diagnosis, sex, date of birth, education, country, language, dominant hand |
| Questionnaires | Mood, sleep, fatigue, and perceived performance (1–7), before and after |
REFERENCE DATA
Validity, reliability, and norms
SPAIn is based on widely validated reaction time tests. Its reference data are updated periodically to ensure fair comparisons.
Age
18 – 80 years
Comparisons by
Age, sex, and education level
Clinical groups
Brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease
Update
Periodic, as new data are incorporated
Patient data
Sex, date of birth, education, country, native language, and dominant hand
CLINICAL OBSERVATION
Observations recorded by the professional
Beyond the numbers, the professional can record what happens during the test.
- General state and level of activation of the patient
- Understanding of the instructions and need to repeat them
- Dominant hand and use of the other hand
- Whether they notice their errors and try to correct them
- Hesitations and repeated responses
- Awareness of their own difficulties
- Signs of low effort or lack of motivation
- Comments or encouragement the patient gives themselves
- Changes in breathing or posture during the test
- Confusion between right and left, especially in older adults
- Environmental distractions (calls, interruptions)
- Mood and attitude toward the assessment
- Difficulties seeing or moving that may affect the test
- Personal style (more cautious or more risk-taking)
- Breaks during the session and reasons
RESEARCH TEAM
Authors
Prof. José A. Periáñez
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dept. of Basic Psychology II
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Prof. Genny Lubrini
CO-AUTHOR
Dept. of Basic Psychology II
UNED
Prof. Marcos Ríos-Lago
CO-AUTHOR
Dept. of Basic Psychology II, UNED
Dept. of Neuropsychology, NeuronUP
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
1. What ages can it be used for?
SPAIn is validated for people aged 18 to 80, with comparison groups by age, sex, and education level. In people under 18 or over 80, results should be interpreted with caution.
2. On which devices can it be administered?
It is recommended to use a computer or a tablet placed horizontally on a table. It should not be used on mobile phones or small tablets, because the patient must respond with their index fingers rather than their thumbs.
3. Can the patient take the test on their own?
No. The test must be supervised by a qualified professional, who ensures that the patient understands the instructions, records useful observations, and interprets the results correctly.
4. What is the difference between the full battery and the short versions?
The full SPAIn battery (10 tests, about 75 minutes) provides a broad cognitive profile. SPAIn-VPM groups three tests focused on the basic speed of seeing, deciding, and moving. SPAIn-MO brings together the four working memory tasks (with numbers and positions, under easier and more difficult conditions).
5. What information does the report provide?
Mean response time, hits and errors, missed responses, premature responses, response stability, and comparison with the reference population. It also includes indicators that help interpret the profile: balance between speed and accuracy, ability to distinguish between similar stimuli, task-switching cost, self-correction after an error, and differences between hands.
6. Can the test be repeated for follow-up?
Yes. Each assessment is saved in the patient’s record and can be compared with previous ones. This makes it possible to see whether the patient improves with rehabilitation, whether the disease is progressing, or whether a treatment is working.
7. Can it provide a diagnosis by itself?
No. SPAIn is not a medical device under Regulation (EU) 2017/745. Its purpose is guidance, within a broader neuropsychological assessment performed by a professional.
8. How is the patient compared with the general population?
When starting the assessment, some patient data are entered (sex, date of birth, education, country, language, and dominant hand). The system automatically assigns the patient to the most similar reference group and shows the results in relation to similar people.
Would you like to see SPAIn in action?
Request a personalized demo with one of our neuropsychologists and discover how to integrate the battery into your practice.
