Dendrite
A roadmap for conducting a neuropsychological evaluation — one step at a time, on the device already in your hand.
Dendrite is a reference guide for clinicians conducting neuropsychological evaluations. It walks through the stages of an evaluation and shows, at each step, the concept being assessed, the tests commonly used, and the relevant brain regions.
The one design decision that shapes everything else
Dendrite informs. It does not diagnose.
A decision-making tool would say: “Based on these answers, the patient has X.”
Dendrite says: “Here is what this step involves. You decide what it means.”
Score, weigh, or interpret responses. Suggest a diagnosis. Recommend a specific patient's battery. Substitute for training or judgment.
Asks navigational questions only — where to look next, never here is the answer. Sensitive steps carry an explicit line: guidance only; clinical judgment rests with you.
This is a deliberate line, and I would like to know whether it is drawn in the right place. It is what keeps Dendrite a reference guide rather than a clinical decision-support device — a distinction with real regulatory weight.
The problem it solves
Dendrite shows one card at a time. You answer what is in front of you; the guide handles where that leads. The complexity is hidden, not lost. That compression is the whole value proposition, and it is the first thing I would like challenged.
Two ways to move through it
- Step-by-step — yes/no questions leading down a path, for sequences where order matters (Stage One).
- Menu — a hub of sub-topics explored in any order, each its own card, for domains where you already know what you are looking for (Stages Two through Four).
Reading the cards
| Plain | A normal step in the evaluation. |
| Red | Urgent — refer to a medical provider. |
| Amber | A caution, a limitation, or reference material. |
| Purple | Brain regions and neurological correlates. |
Where it stands
Fifty cards, all paths verified. Four stages are built out; three are in progress or awaiting content.
| Stage | Covers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | Interview, collateral information | Complete |
| One — Orientation | Orientation to self, time, place, situation; MMSE, MoCA, NAB & WMS screeners; levels of consciousness; sensation check; testing modification; screener decision | Complete |
| Two — Attention | Rule-outs; five attentional states (focused/selective, sustained, divided, alternating, activity rate); Duncan & Mirsky model as reference | Complete |
| Three — Language | Branches to cranial nerves or language domains; full CN I–XII exam with bedside procedures; expressive, receptive, naming, parosody; aphasia table; aprosodia & apraxia reference | Complete |
| Four — Memory & Learning | Basic process and rule-outs; how memory forms; sensory, short-term/working, long-term memory with brain regions; delayed recall & recognition; impairment table; amnesia types | Complete |
| Five — Visual/Spatial | Concept only | In progress |
| Six — Executive Functioning | — | Awaiting content |
| Seven — Psychiatric | — | Awaiting content |
Runs anywhere
Dendrite is a single web page. Nothing to install, no account, no data collected. It works on a phone between sessions and on a desktop during report writing. Wide reference tables scroll sideways on a phone rather than shrinking the text past legibility.