NwETA

The Behavioral Assessment and Research System (BARS) is a testing system consisting of standard and new neurobehavioral performance tests. BARS was designed for population-based research to detect adverse nervous system effects in a work group exposed to a chemical when compared to a control group that did not have such an exposure. To this day, it is one of the two most widely-used testing systems to detect neurotoxicity in adults, and it has now been extended to research with children.

The primary benefits of BARS:

• includes tests of attention, memory, learning motivation, complex function, response speed and coordination. See BARS Tests.
• available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic and Ukranian languages. Can be extended to other languages at a modest cost.
• developed with simple, clear instructions (spoken optional) and practice that fully replace Examiner explanations on how to perform the tests for most adults with 10 or more years of education.
• BARS can be used with populations with limited or even no education or fluency by using the spoken language option.
• Up to 10 people can be tested simultaneously by one Examiner (less if education below 10 years).
• Ages successfully tested: 4-91
• BARS tests have modifiable parameters (eg, number of trials, stimulus shape, inter-stimulus intervals, instruction language, practice trials, test difficulty levels, delays)
• Tests are written as external C++ routines to allow true millisecond timing between the stimulus and response.
• Poker chip dispenser available as feedback/reinforcer for children.

Since 1990, BARS software and the hardware to run it has been licensed by Drs. Kent Anger and Diane Rohlman at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR. In June 2007, NwETA became the exclusive licensee to market BARS. NwETA negotiated that agreement in order to provide a secure long-term financial base for BARS.

NwETA’s initial goal is to supplement the funds from licensing BARS which will be used to re-write the software for modern operating systems and to evolve the software as the field of Behavioral Neurotoxicology evolves. The Oregon Health & Science laboratory of Drs. Anger and Rohlman has let a contract to outline the cost of the re-write of BARS and NwETA is actively considering programming options.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Kent Anger kent@nweta.com or anger@ohsu.edu
Dr. Diane Rohlman rohlmand@ohsu.edu