A group of researchers from the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center at the University of Granada (UGR), belonging to the "Psychosocial and Transcultural Aspects of Health and Illness" research group, have developed a project in collaboration with the Carlos Rafael Rodríguez University of Cienfuegos (Cuba). The project's objective was to adapt and standardize the Computerized Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) for Cuban children.
The identification or diagnosis of potentially affected neurodevelopmental processes is a basic activity for preventing health issues in the child population. However, most existing assessment instruments are difficult for emerging countries to access due to the high cost of their acquisition for clinical and research use. Furthermore, neuropsychological tests are affected by cultural variables and cannot be used across cultures without adaptation.
To address these needs, the research team, along with members of the "Applied Neuropsychology and Psychoneuroimmunology" group, developed the BENCI child neuropsychological assessment battery in Spain. This battery has already been adapted for Moroccan, Palestinian, and Ecuadorian populations through international development cooperation projects.
The BENCI battery consists of 14 tests, is available for free on a tablet platform, and evaluates key neuropsychological domains.
In Cuba, there were no instruments with these characteristics for neurodevelopmental assessment. Therefore, the objectives of this project were to study the neurodevelopment of Cuban children, evaluate the impact of psychosocial variables that can influence this neurodevelopment, and specifically to adapt and standardize the Computerized Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) for Cuban children.
The results show that BENCI is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating neurodevelopment in Cuban children and adolescents. These results are particularly relevant because BENCI is the first neuropsychological assessment battery validated in the Cuban population.
This work was funded as a Research Project for International Development Cooperation by the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation (Ref. 2020U1006).
Reference
Pérez-Marfil, M. N., Fernández-Alcántara, M., Navarro, E., García-Navarro, X., & Cruz-Quintana, F. (2025). Validation of the computerised battery for neuropsychological evaluation of children (BENCI) in a Cuban sample. Journal of Neuropsychology, 00, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12418
Contact
María Nieves Pérez Marfil (@email)
Elena Navarro González (@email)
Francisco Cruz Quintana (fcruz@ugr.es)