B – 142 Neuropsychological Correlates of SIPAT Performance in Candidates for Solid Organ Transplant

Objective Multiple factors of daily living, including neuropsychological function and psychosocial readiness, are assessed when patients are evaluated for solid organ transplant (SOT) candidacy. Kidney and liver failure are associated with broad neuropsychological deficits, and outcomes of SOT are dependent on psychosocial readiness and support. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the relationship between cognitive impairment due to organ failure and formal assessment of psychosocial readiness in SOT candidates. Method The sample was comprised of 68 liver (n=20) and kidney (n=48) transplant candidates referred for neuropsychological evaluation at a large, urban, public academic medical center. Correlation analyses evaluated the relationships between scores on the Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplant (SIPAT) and performances on multiple neuropsychological tests measuring domains of verbal/visual memory, executive functioning, health literacy, social determinants of health, and psychological function. Linear regression was conducted on measures correlated with SIPAT score. Results SIPAT scores were moderately correlated with anxiety symptoms, as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; r=.297; p=.031). Follow-up regression analysis revealed that anxiety contributed significant variance to SIPAT scores (R2=.088). Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Perseverative Errors (WCST) were marginally correlated with SIPAT (r=.26; p=.07). WCST contributed marginally significant variance to SIPAT scores (R2=.069). Together, BAI and WCST were not unique predictors (p=.11). No other associations were significant. Conclusion Higher self-reported anxiety symptoms and executive dysfunction are associated with increased psychosocial barriers to SOT. Other measures of stress, depression, health anxiety, and other cognitive domains were not significant and likely represent an independent vector of information not captured by the SIPAT.