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MacPherson SE, Gilmour VAW. The influence of interruptions and planning on serial everyday multitasking in older adults. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2024; 31:496-523. [PMID: 37184382 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2023.2210814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive aging research has studied the influence of healthy aging on the ability to multitask. Yet, little is known about the factors that might improve or impair serial multitasking performance in older adults. Three experiments involving younger and older adults assessed the impact of interruptions and planning on a prop-based test of multitasking. In Experiment 1, 26 younger adults and 25 older adults' multitasking abilities were assessed; older adults performed significantly more poorly than younger adults. In Experiment 2, 19 younger and 22 older adults were randomly allocated to a group who experienced a one minute unexpected interruption while multitasking or a group with no interruption. The results showed that, when there was an interruption, the age difference disappeared. In Experiment 3, 32 younger and 30 older adults were randomly allocated to a group who were given 3 minutes to write an outline describing how they intended to approach the multitasking task, and another group who were given 3 minutes to label pictures of everyday objects prior to multitasking. Again, when participants were encouraged to plan, no age difference was found. These results highlight the advantage that interruptions and planning might have on serial everyday multitasking performance in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E MacPherson
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Vairi A W Gilmour
- Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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2
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Schmitter-Edgecombe M, Brown K, Chilton RC, Whiteley N, Greeley D. Naturalistic assessment of everyday multitasking in Parkinson's disease with and without mild cognitive impairment. Clin Neuropsychol 2024:1-21. [PMID: 38475659 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2024.2325681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Objective: Multitasking is an essential part of everyday functioning often not formally assessed by traditional neuropsychological tests. Although individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience both motor and cognitive difficulties, previous research has demonstrated more pronounced functional difficulties with the presence of mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI). The current study compared individuals with PD-MCI, PD with normal cognition (PD-NC), and healthy controls on a naturalistic task of multitasking, the Day Out Task (DOT). Method: Participants were 38 healthy older adults (HOA), 23 individuals with PD-NC, and 15 individuals with PD-MCI. Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tasks and the DOT. Informants also completed a self-reported questionnaire of participants' everyday executive functioning. Results: Compared to PD-NC and HOA, participants with PD-MCI were less accurate and efficient and took longer to complete the DOT. After controlling for motor performance, only DOT accuracy remained worse, with poorer accuracy resulted from more subtasks being left incomplete or being completed inaccurately by the PD-MCI group. DOT sequencing was a significant predictor of informant reported everyday dysexecutive symptoms. Conclusions: The findings highlight that individuals with PD-MCI are likely to experience difficulties completing complex everyday tasks due to both motor and cognitive impairments. Clinicians may therefore recommend strategies to support efficiency and accuracy in complex tasks of everyday functioning in treatment considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katelyn Brown
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Nicole Whiteley
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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3
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Salvadori E. Intelligence, cognition, and major neurocognitive disorders: From constructs to measures. CEREBRAL CIRCULATION - COGNITION AND BEHAVIOR 2023; 5:100185. [PMID: 37736144 PMCID: PMC10510085 DOI: 10.1016/j.cccb.2023.100185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The study of intelligence's role in development of major neurocognitive disorders (MND) is influenced by the approaches used to conceptualize and measure these constructs. In the field of cognitive impairment, the use of single 'intelligence' tests is a common approach to estimate intelligence. Despite being a practical compromise between feasibility and constructs, variance of these tests is only partially explained by general intelligence, and some tools (e.g., lexical tasks for premorbid intelligence) presented inherent limitations. Alternatively, factorial models allow an actual measure of intelligence as a latent factor superintending all mental abilities. Royall and colleagues used structural equation modeling to decompose the Spearman's general intelligence factor g in δ (shared variance across cognitive and functional measures) and g' (shared variance across cognitive measures only). Authors defined δ as the 'cognitive correlates of functional status', and thus a 'phenotype for all cause dementia'. Compared to g', δ explained a little rate of cognitive measures' variance, but it demonstrated a higher accuracy in dementia case-finding. From the methodological perspective, given g 'indifference' to its indicators, further studies are needed to identify the minimal set of tools necessary to extract g, and to test also non-cognitive variables as measures of δ. From the clinical perspective, general intelligence seems to influence MND presence and severity more than domain specific cognitive abilities. Giving δ 'blindness' to etiology, its association with biomarkers and contribution to differential diagnosis might be limited. Classical neuropsychological approaches based on patterns of performances at cognitive tests remained fundamental for differential diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Salvadori
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20157, Italy
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4
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Tazerji SS, Nardini R, Safdar M, Shehata AA, Duarte PM. An Overview of Anthropogenic Actions as Drivers for Emerging and Re-Emerging Zoonotic Diseases. Pathogens 2022; 11:1376. [PMID: 36422627 PMCID: PMC9692567 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11111376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Population growth and industrialization have led to a race for greater food and supply productivity. As a result, the occupation and population of forest areas, contact with wildlife and their respective parasites and vectors, the trafficking and consumption of wildlife, the pollution of water sources, and the accumulation of waste occur more frequently. Concurrently, the agricultural and livestock production for human consumption has accelerated, often in a disorderly way, leading to the deforestation of areas that are essential for the planet's climatic and ecological balance. The effects of human actions on other ecosystems such as the marine ecosystem cause equally serious damage, such as the pollution of this habitat, and the reduction of the supply of fish and other animals, causing the coastal population to move to the continent. The sum of these factors leads to an increase in the demands such as housing, basic sanitation, and medical assistance, making these populations underserved and vulnerable to the effects of global warming and to the emergence of emerging and re-emerging diseases. In this article, we discuss the anthropic actions such as climate changes, urbanization, deforestation, the trafficking and eating of wild animals, as well as unsustainable agricultural intensification which are drivers for emerging and re-emerging of zoonotic pathogens such as viral (Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Hendravirus, Nipah virus, rabies, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease-2), bacterial (leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis, and tuberculosis), parasitic (leishmaniasis) and fungal pathogens, which pose a substantial threat to the global community. Finally, we shed light on the urgent demand for the implementation of the One Health concept as a collaborative global approach to raise awareness and educate people about the science behind and the battle against zoonotic pathogens to mitigate the threat for both humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Salajegheh Tazerji
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran P.O. Box. 1477893855, Iran
- Young Researchers and Elites Club Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University; Tehran P.O. Box. 1477893855, Iran
| | - Roberto Nardini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
| | - Muhammad Safdar
- Department of Breeding and Genetics, Cholistan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
| | - Awad A. Shehata
- Avian and Rabbit Diseases Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt
- Research and Development Section, PerNaturam GmbH, 56290 Gödenroth, Germany
- Prophy-Institute for Applied Prophylaxis, 59159 Bönen, Germany
| | - Phelipe Magalhães Duarte
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Bioscience, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
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Smith V, Pinasco C, Achterberg J, Mitchell DJ, Das T, Roca M, Duncan J. Fluid intelligence and naturalistic task impairments after focal brain lesions. Cortex 2021; 146:106-115. [PMID: 34847482 PMCID: PMC8769046 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Classical executive tasks, such as Wisconsin card-sorting and verbal fluency, are widely used as tests of frontal lobe control functions. Since the pioneering work of Shallice and Burgess (1991), it has been known that complex, naturalistic tasks can capture deficits that are missed in these classical tests. Matching this finding, deficits in several classical tasks are predicted by loss of fluid intelligence, linked to damage in a specific cortical "multiple-demand" (MD) network, while deficits in a more naturalistic task are not. To expand on these previous results, we examined the effect of focal brain lesions on three new tests-a modification of the previously-used Hotel task, a new test of task switching after extended delays, and a test of decision-making in imagined real-life scenarios. As potential predictors of impairment we measured volume of damage to a priori MD and default mode (DMN) networks, as well as cortical damage outside these networks. Deficits in the three new tasks were substantial, but were not explained by loss of fluid intelligence, or by volume of damage to either MD or DMN networks. Instead, deficits were associated with diverse lesions, and not strongly correlated with one another. The results confirm that naturalistic tasks capture cognitive deficits beyond those measured by fluid intelligence. We suggest, however, that these deficits may not arise from specific control operations required by complex behaviour. Instead, like everyday activities, complex tasks combine a rich variety of interacting cognitive components, bringing many opportunities for processing to be disturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verity Smith
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Clara Pinasco
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jascha Achterberg
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel J Mitchell
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tilak Das
- Department of Radiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Roca
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - John Duncan
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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D'Iorio A, Guida P, Maggi G, Redgrave P, Santangelo G, Obeso I. Neuropsychological spectrum in early PD: Insights from controlled and automatic behavioural regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:465-480. [PMID: 33836213 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Initial changes in Parkinson's disease (PD) are marked by loss of automatic movements and decline of some cognitive functions. Yet, the exact profile and extent of cognitive impairments in early stages of PD as well as their mechanisms related to automatic motor dysfunction remain unclear. Our objective was to examine the neuropsychological changes in early PD and their association to automatic and controlled modes of behavioural control. Significant relationships between early PD and cognitive dysfunction in set-shifting, abstraction ability/concept formation, processing speed, visuospatial/constructional abilities and verbal-visual memory was found. We also noted that tests with a strong effortful and controlled component were similarly affected as automatic tests by early PD, particularly those testing verbal memory, processing speed and visuospatial/constructional functions. Our findings indicate that initial stages of PD sets constraints over most of the cognitive domains normally assessed and are not easily explained in terms of either automatic or controlled mechanisms, as both appear similarly altered in early PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonsina D'Iorio
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Pasqualina Guida
- HM CINAC. Centro Integral de Neurociencias AC. HM Hospitales CEU San Pablo University, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Carlos III Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gianpaolo Maggi
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Peter Redgrave
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Ignacio Obeso
- HM CINAC. Centro Integral de Neurociencias AC. HM Hospitales CEU San Pablo University, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Carlos III Institute, Madrid, Spain.
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7
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Paz EV, Puga C, Ekonen C, Pintos P, Trossero I, Richards A, Lascombes I, De Vita S, Leist M, Corleto M, García Basalo MJ. Letter and category Fluency Test in Spanish-Speaking Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Neurol India 2021; 69:102-106. [PMID: 33642279 DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.310066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Verbal fluency test is a short psychometric test, which is sensitive to verbal ability and executive control impairment. We did not find studies that analyze verbal fluency in relation to the neurodevelopmental disorders in Spanish-speaking children with letters P-M. Our objective was to analyze the verbal fluency of Spanish-speaking children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Method We carried out a retrospective cross-sectional study to analyze the performance of children who had undergone a neuropsychological assessment. Results We included 164 patients. There were 55 (33.54%) patients with low intellectual performance (LIP), 19 (11.59%) patients with dyslexia , and 90 (54.88%) patients had an ADHD. Patients with LIP showed lower phonological fluency than patients with ADHD. As for semantic fluidity, differences were observed between patients with LIP and ADHD and also between LIP and dyslexia. The probability of having LIP was 9.6 times greater when somebody had a scale score lower than 7 in the PF task and it was 16.7 times greater when the scale score was lower than 7 in the SF task. Conclusions There was a direct relationship between FSIQ and the performance in verbal fluency test, which is a brief and effective neuropsychological test in revealing deficits in executive functions, verbal abilities, and LIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Vaucheret Paz
- Department of Child Neurology and Child Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Celeste Puga
- Department of Child Neurology and Child Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Christy Ekonen
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paula Pintos
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Isabel Trossero
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Richards
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Isabel Lascombes
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Soledad De Vita
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Leist
- Department of Child Neurology and Child Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariela Corleto
- Department of Neuropsychology Section, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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8
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Filippi R, Ceccolini A, Bright P. Trajectories of verbal fluency and executive functions in multilingual and monolingual children and adults: A cross-sectional study. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:130-147. [PMID: 34092150 PMCID: PMC8600596 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211026792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The development of verbal fluency is associated with the maturation of executive
function skills, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, shift
between tasks, and hold information in working memory. Some evidence suggests
that multilinguistic upbringing may underpin disadvantages in verbal fluency and
lexical retrieval, but can also afford executive function advantages beyond the
language system including possible beneficial effects in older age. This study
examined the relationship between verbal fluency and executive function in 324
individuals across the lifespan by assessing the developmental trajectories of
English monolingual and multilingual children aged 7–15 years
(N = 154) and adults from 18 to 80 years old
(N = 170). The childhood data indicated patterns of
improvement in verbal fluency and executive function skills as a function of
age. Multilingual and monolingual children had comparable developmental
trajectories in all linguistic and non-linguistic measures used in the study
with the exception of planning, for which monolingual children showed a steeper
improvement over the studied age range relative to multilingual children. For
adults, monolinguals and multilingual participants had comparable performance on
all measures with the exception of nonverbal inhibitory control and response
times on the Tower of London task: monolinguals showed a steeper decline
associated with age. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that verbal fluency
was associated with working memory and fluid intelligence in monolingual
participants but not in multilinguals. These findings raise the possibility that
early acquisition of an additional language may impact on the development of the
functional architecture serving high-level human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Filippi
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK.,Multilanguage and Cognition Lab, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrea Ceccolini
- Multilanguage and Cognition Lab, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Bright
- Multilanguage and Cognition Lab, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK.,Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
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9
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Zohdi H, Egli R, Guthruf D, Scholkmann F, Wolf U. Color-dependent changes in humans during a verbal fluency task under colored light exposure assessed by SPA-fNIRS. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9654. [PMID: 33958616 PMCID: PMC8102618 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88059-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Light evokes robust visual and nonvisual physiological and psychological effects in humans, such as emotional and behavioral responses, as well as changes in cognitive brain activity and performance. The aim of this study was to investigate how colored light exposure (CLE) and a verbal fluency task (VFT) interact and affect cerebral hemodynamics, oxygenation, and systemic physiology as determined by systemic physiology augmented functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SPA-fNIRS). 32 healthy adults (17 female, 15 male, age: 25.5 ± 4.3 years) were exposed to blue and red light for 9 min while performing a VFT. Before and after the CLE, subjects were in darkness. We found that this long-term CLE-VFT paradigm elicited distinct changes in the prefrontal cortex and in most systemic physiological parameters. The subjects' performance depended significantly on the type of VFT and the sex of the subject. Compared to red light, blue evoked stronger responses in cerebral hemodynamics and oxygenation in the visual cortex. Color-dependent changes were evident in the recovery phase of several systemic physiological parameters. This study showed that the CLE has effects that endure at least 15 min after cessation of the CLE. This underlines the importance of considering the persistent influence of colored light on brain function, cognition, and systemic physiology in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamoon Zohdi
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Egli
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Guthruf
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Felix Scholkmann
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Neonatology Research, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ursula Wolf
- University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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10
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Foran AM, Mathias JL, Bowden SC. Effectiveness of sorting tests for detecting cognitive decline in older adults with dementia and other common neurodegenerative disorders: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:442-454. [PMID: 33091417 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The demand for simple, accurate and time-efficient screens to detect cognitive decline at point-of-care is increasing. Sorting tests are often used to detect the 'executive' deficits that are commonly associated with behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), but their potential for use as a cognitive screen with older adults is unclear. A comprehensive search of four databases identified 142 studies that compared the sorting test performance (e.g. WCST, DKEFS-ST) of adults with a common neurodegenerative disorder (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, bvFTD, Parkinson's disease) and cognitively-healthy controls. Hedges' g effect sizes were used to compare the groups on five common test scores (Category, Total, Perseveration, Error, Description). The neurodegenerative disorders (combined) showed large deficits on all scores (g -1.0 to -1.3), with dementia (combined subtypes) performing more poorly (g -1.2 to -2.1), although bvFTD was not disproportionately worse than the other dementias. Overall, sorting tests detected the cognitive impairments caused by common neurodegenerative disorders, especially dementia, highlighting their potential suitability as a cognitive screen for older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Foran
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
| | - J L Mathias
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
| | - S C Bowden
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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11
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Fong MCM, Hui NY, Fung ESW, Ma MKH, Law TST, Wang X, Wang WS. Which cognitive functions subserve clustering and switching in category fluency? Generalisations from an extended set of semantic categories using linear mixed-effects modelling. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2020; 73:2132-2147. [PMID: 32972306 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820957135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Clustering and switching are hypothesised to reflect the automatic and controlled components in category fluency, respectively, but how they are associated with cognitive functions has not been fully elucidated, due to several uncertainties. (1) The conventional scoring method that segregates responses by semantic categories could not optimally dissociate the automatic and controlled components. (2) The temporal structure of individual responses, as characterised by mean retrieval time (MRT) and mean switching time (MST), has seldom been analysed alongside the more well-studied variables, cluster size (CS) and number of switches (NS). (3) Most studies examined only one to a few semantic categories, raising concerns of generalisability. This study built upon a distance-based automatic clustering procedure, referred to as temporal-semantic distance procedure, to thoroughly characterise the category fluency performance. Linear mixed-effects (LME) modelling was applied to re-examine the differential associations of clustering and switching with cognitive functions with a sample of 80 university students. Our results revealed that although lexical retrieval speed (LRS) is clearly the determining factor for effective clustering and switching, matrix reasoning and processing speed also have significant roles to play, possibly in the processes of identifying and validating the semantic relationships. Interestingly, total fluency score was accurately predicted by the four clustering/switching indices alone; including the cognitive variables did not significantly improve the prediction. These findings underline the importance of the clustering and switching indices in explaining the category fluency performance and the cognitive demands in category fluency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manson Cheuk-Man Fong
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Nga Yan Hui
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Edith Sze-Wan Fung
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Matthew King-Hang Ma
- Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Tammy Sheung-Ting Law
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - William Shiyuan Wang
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.,Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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12
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Tsatsakis A, Petrakis D, Nikolouzakis TK, Docea AO, Calina D, Vinceti M, Goumenou M, Kostoff RN, Mamoulakis C, Aschner M, Hernández AF. COVID-19, an opportunity to reevaluate the correlation between long-term effects of anthropogenic pollutants on viral epidemic/pandemic events and prevalence. Food Chem Toxicol 2020; 141:111418. [PMID: 32437891 PMCID: PMC7211730 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Occupational, residential, dietary and environmental exposures to mixtures of synthetic anthropogenic chemicals after World War II have a strong relationship with the increase of chronic diseases, health cost and environmental pollution. The link between environment and immunity is particularly intriguing as it is known that chemicals and drugs can cause immunotoxicity (e.g., allergies and autoimmune diseases). In this review, we emphasize the relationship between long-term exposure to xenobiotic mixtures and immune deficiency inherent to chronic diseases and epidemics/pandemics. We also address the immunotoxicologic risk of vulnerable groups, taking into account biochemical and biophysical properties of SARS-CoV-2 and its immunopathological implications. We particularly underline the common mechanisms by which xenobiotics and SARS-CoV-2 act at the cellular and molecular level. We discuss how long-term exposure to thousand chemicals in mixtures, mostly fossil fuel derivatives, exposure toparticle matters, metals, ultraviolet (UV)–B radiation, ionizing radiation and lifestyle contribute to immunodeficiency observed in the contemporary pandemic, such as COVID-19, and thus threaten global public health, human prosperity and achievements, and global economy. Finally, we propose metrics which are needed to address the diverse health effects of anthropogenic COVID-19 crisis at present and those required to prevent similar future pandemics. Developmental exposure to environmental factors can disrupt the immune system. Long-term low-dose exposure to chemical mixtures is linked to imunodeficiency Immunodeficiency contributes to chronic diseases and the current Covid-19 pandemics. Environmental chemicals and microorganisms share similar molecular pathomechanisms (AhR pathway). Understanding the underlying pathomechanisms helps to improve public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, Voutes, 71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Department of Analytical and Forensic Medical Toxicology, Sechenov University, 2-4 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya st., 119991 Moscow, Russia; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Demetrious Petrakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, Voutes, 71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | | | - Anca Oana Docea
- Department of Toxicology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania.
| | - Daniela Calina
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania.
| | - Marco Vinceti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I-41125 Modena, Italy.
| | - Marina Goumenou
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Medical School, University of Crete, Voutes, 71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Ronald N Kostoff
- School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Gainesville, VA, 20155, USA.
| | - Charalampos Mamoulakis
- Department of Urology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Analytical and Forensic Medical Toxicology, Sechenov University, 2-4 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya st., 119991 Moscow, Russia; Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Antonio F Hernández
- Department of Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University of Granada School of Medicine, 180016 Granada, Spain.
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13
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Goitia B, Bruno D, Abrevaya S, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A, Manes F, Sigman M, Sinay V, Torralva T, Duncan J, Roca M. The relationship between executive functions and fluid intelligence in multiple sclerosis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231868. [PMID: 32320404 PMCID: PMC7176096 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Deficits in cognitive functions dependent upon the integrity of the prefrontal cortex have been described in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In a series of studies we have shown that fluid intelligence (g) is a substantial contributor to frontal deficits and that, for some classical "executive" tasks, frontal deficits were entirely explained by g. However, for another group of frontal tasks deficits remained once g was introduced as a covariate. This second set of tests included multitasking and theory of mind tasks. In the present study, we aimed at determining the role of fluid intelligence in frontal deficits seen in patients with MS. METHODS A group of patients with Relapsing Remitting MS (n = 36) and a group of control subjects (n = 42) were assessed with a battery of classical executive tests (which included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Verbal Fluency, and Trail Making Test B), a multitasking test, a theory of mind test and a fluid intelligence test. RESULTS MS patients showed significant deficits in the fluid intelligence task. We found differences between patients and control subjects in all tests except for the multitasking test. The differences in the classical executive tests became non-significant once fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate, but differences in theory of mind remained. CONCLUSIONS The present results suggest that fluid intelligence can be affected in MS and that this impairment can play a role in the executive deficits described in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belén Goitia
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Torcuato Di Tella University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diana Bruno
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sofía Abrevaya
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla, Colombia
- Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council (ACR), Sydney, Australia
| | - Facundo Manes
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano Sigman
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Torcuato Di Tella University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vladimiro Sinay
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Teresa Torralva
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - John Duncan
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - María Roca
- Institute of Translational and Cognitive Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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14
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Sokołowski A, Tyburski E, Sołtys A, Karabanowicz E. Sex Differences in Verbal Fluency Among Young Adults. Adv Cogn Psychol 2020; 16:92-102. [PMID: 32607136 PMCID: PMC7311951 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0288-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal fluency tasks have been used as tools to measure various cognitive processes, such as executive functions, memory, and language. Sex differences in verbal fluency performance have been mostly investigated in population studies. Little of this research has focused on young adults. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of sex and task category on word production and verbal strategies (i.e., cluster size and switches) in young adults. The phonemic (letter “k”, letter “f”) and semantic (animals, fruits, sharp objects) fluency measures were used. Men and women were compared in terms of the number of produced words and the use of verbal strategies (number of switches and mean cluster size controlled for produced words). Results revealed subtle sex differences in verbal fluency in young adults. Men performed slightly better in semantic fluency, producing more words, while there were no sex differences in verbal strategies. There were also no sex differences in word production and verbal strategies in the phonemic fluency tasks. Furthermore, there were differences in the number of produced words, mean cluster sizes, and switches between semantic tasks as well as between phonemic tasks. These results can be interpreted in the context of potential differences in mental lexicon and social roles. Moreover, our results suggest that assessment of verbal strategies and overall word production may be important in the context of sex differences in verbal fluency among young adults as well as in neuropsychological diagnosis
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Sokołowski
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California SanFrancisco, San Francisco, USA1
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland2
| | - Ernest Tyburski
- Institute of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan, Poland3
| | - Anna Sołtys
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland4
| | - Ewa Karabanowicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland4
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15
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Magalhães S, Carneiro L, Limpo T, Filipe M. Executive functions predict literacy and mathematics achievements: The unique contribution of cognitive flexibility in grades 2, 4, and 6. Child Neuropsychol 2020; 26:934-952. [PMID: 32200681 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2020.1740188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that cognitive flexibility plays a critical role in students' learning and academic achievement. However, the unique contribution of cognitive flexibility to academic achievement across schooling is not fully understood. Thus, this study tested whether cognitive flexibility explained a significant amount of variance in academic achievement (i.e., literacy and mathematics outcomes) across Grades 2, 4, and 6, above and beyond fluid intelligence, inhibitory control, working memory, attention, and planning. The sample included 243 second graders, 284 fourth graders, and 203 sixth graders. For Grades 4 and 6, we found that better performance on the flexibility score was associated with better academic outcomes after controlling for fluid intelligence, attention, inhibitory control, working memory, and planning. This effect was not observed for Grade 2. Our findings showed that cognitive flexibility is a key component for school achievement, particularly for older students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Magalhães
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto , Porto, Portugal
| | - Luísa Carneiro
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto , Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa Limpo
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto , Porto, Portugal
| | - Marisa Filipe
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto , Porto, Portugal
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16
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Empathy and theory of mind in Parkinson’s disease: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 109:92-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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17
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Vaucheret Paz E, Puga C, Ekonen C, Pintos P, Lascombes I, De Vita S, Leist M, Corleto M, Basalo MJG. Verbal Fluency Test in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. J Neurosci Rural Pract 2020; 11:95-99. [PMID: 32140010 PMCID: PMC7055602 DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3400347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The verbal fluency task is a widely used psychometric test to account for cognitive functions, particularly, verbal and executive functions. Being an easy and fast test to administer, it is a good neuropsychological tool in low technology environments. Our objective was to analyze the performance in verbal fluency of Spanish-speaking children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study to analyze the performance of children who had undergone a verbal fluency test in a neuropsychological assessment. Results We included 115 participants. There were 41 (35.65%) participants with low intellectual performance (LIP), 63 (54.78%) with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and 11(9.57%) participants with dyslexia. Participants with LIP showed lower phonological and semantic fluency scores than participants with ADHD, and a lower performance in semantic fluency than the dyslexia group. The probability of having LIP was 6.12 times greater when somebody had a scale score lower than 7 in the phonological task and it was 7.9 times greater when the scale score was lower than 7 in the semantic task. Conclusion There was a direct relationship between Full Scale Intelligence Quotient and verbal fluency test performance, the latter being a brief and effective neuropsychological test that can reveal deficit not only in executive functions and verbal abilities but also detect LIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Vaucheret Paz
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Celeste Puga
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Christy Ekonen
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paula Pintos
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Isabel Lascombes
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Soledad De Vita
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Leist
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariela Corleto
- Department of Child Neurology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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18
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Kopp B, Maldonado N, Scheffels JF, Hendel M, Lange F. A Meta-Analysis of Relationships between Measures of Wisconsin Card Sorting and Intelligence. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E349. [PMID: 31795503 PMCID: PMC6956132 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9120349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) represents a widely utilized neuropsychological assessment technique for executive function. This meta-analysis examined the discriminant validity of the WCST for the assessment of mental shifting, considered as an essential subcomponent of executive functioning, against traditional psychometric intelligence tests. A systematic search was conducted, resulting in 72 neuropsychological samples for the meta-analysis of relationships between WCST scores and a variety of intelligence quotient (IQ) domains. The study revealed low to medium-sized correlations with IQ domains across all WCST scores that could be investigated. Verbal/crystallized IQ and performance/fluid IQ were indistinguishably associated with WCST scores. To conclude, the WCST assesses cognitive functions that might be partially separable from common conceptualizations of intelligence. More vigorous initiatives to validate putative indicators of executive function against intelligence are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Kopp
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (N.M.); (J.F.S.); (M.H.); (F.L.)
| | - Natasha Maldonado
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (N.M.); (J.F.S.); (M.H.); (F.L.)
| | - Jannik F. Scheffels
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (N.M.); (J.F.S.); (M.H.); (F.L.)
| | - Merle Hendel
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (N.M.); (J.F.S.); (M.H.); (F.L.)
| | - Florian Lange
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (N.M.); (J.F.S.); (M.H.); (F.L.)
- Behavioral Engineering Research Group, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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19
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Martin AK, Barker MS, Gibson EC, Robinson GA. Response initiation and inhibition and the relationship with fluid intelligence across the adult lifespan. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2019; 36:231-242. [DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acz044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Cognitive processes associated with frontal lobe functioning are often termed “executive functions.” Two such processes are initiation and inhibition or the starting and stopping of responses. It has recently been claimed dysfunction of executive abilities can be explained by a single measure of fluid intelligence. Here, we test this claim, specifically for the executive abilities of response initiation and inhibition, across the healthy lifespan.
Method
In a cohort of 336 healthy adults (18–89 years), initiation and inhibition were assessed with the Hayling test, Stroop test, and phonemic and semantic verbal fluency. All participants also completed a measure of fluid intelligence. The relationship between fluid intelligence and executive measures was explored across the lifespan using a continuous approach. Mediation models were computed to assess whether age-related decline across the four initiation/inhibition tasks could be fully explained by a single measure of fluid intelligence.
Results
Age was negatively correlated with response initiation/inhibition and fluid intelligence. The mediation analyses identified only partial mediation of fluid intelligence for age and Hayling performance. By contrast, fluid intelligence did not mediate performance on the Stroop test or phonemic and semantic verbal fluency.
Conclusions
Response initiation/inhibition are not able to be explained by fluid intelligence. The results support a multifactorial theory of executive functions and provide evidence for the inclusion of multiple specific executive measures in a thorough neuropsychological assessment of age-related cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Martin
- Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - M S Barker
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Taub Institute, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, USA
| | - E C Gibson
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - G A Robinson
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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20
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Marsh JE, Hansson P, Sörman DE, Ljungberg JK. Executive Processes Underpin the Bilingual Advantage on Phonemic Fluency: Evidence From Analyses of Switching and Clustering. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1355. [PMID: 31244740 PMCID: PMC6581746 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilinguals often show a disadvantage in lexical access on verbal fluency tasks wherein the criteria require the production of words from semantic categories. However, the pattern is more heterogeneous for letter (phonemic) fluency wherein the task is to produce words beginning with a given letter. Here, bilinguals often outperform monolinguals. One explanation for this is that phonemic fluency, as compared with semantic fluency, is more greatly underpinned by executive processes and that bilinguals exhibit better performance on phonemic fluency due to better executive functions. In this study, we re-analyzed phonemic fluency data from the Betula study, scoring outputs according to two measures that purportedly reflect executive processes: clustering and switching. Consistent with the notion that bilinguals have superior executive processes and that these can be used to offset a bilingual disadvantage in verbal fluency, bilinguals (35-65 years at baseline) demonstrated greater switching and clustering throughout the 15-year study period.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. Marsh
- Department of Environmental Psychology, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jessica Körning Ljungberg
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Division of Human Work Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
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21
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Strikwerda-Brown C, Ramanan S, Irish M. Neurocognitive mechanisms of theory of mind impairment in neurodegeneration: a transdiagnostic approach. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:557-573. [PMID: 30863078 PMCID: PMC6388953 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s158996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of human interaction is predicated upon our innate capacity to infer the thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perspectives of others, in short, to possess a "theory of mind" (ToM). While the term has evolved considerably since its inception, ToM encompasses our unique ability to apprehend the mental states of others, enabling us to anticipate and predict subsequent behavior. From a developmental perspective, ToM has been a topic of keen research interest, with numerous studies seeking to explicate the origins of this fundamental capacity and its disruption in developmental disorders such as autism. The study of ToM at the opposite end of the lifespan, however, is paradoxically new born, emerging as a topic of interest in its own right comparatively recently. Here, we consider the unique insights afforded by studying ToM capacity in neurodegenerative disorders. Arguing from a novel, transdiagnostic perspective, we consider how ToM vulnerability reflects the progressive degradation of neural circuits specialized for an array of higher-order cognitive processes. This mechanistic approach enables us to consider the common and unique neurocognitive mechanisms that underpin ToM dysfunction across neurodegenerative disorders and for the first time examine its relation to behavioral disturbances across social, intimate, legal, and criminal settings. As such, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of ToM research in neurodegeneration, the resultant challenges for family members, clinicians, and the legal profession, and future directions worthy of exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
| | - Siddharth Ramanan
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
| | - Muireann Irish
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
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22
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Romosan AM, Dehelean L, Romosan RS, Andor M, Bredicean AC, Simu MA. Affective theory of mind in Parkinson's disease: the effect of cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:2521-2535. [PMID: 31564879 PMCID: PMC6722434 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s219288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Among other non-motor symptoms, theory of mind (ToM), the ability to recognize, understand and infer others' mental states, beliefs, intents and wishes, has been shown to deteriorate during the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been speculated that ToM impairments could be related to cognitive deficits in PD. However, the current state of literature suggests that there is heterogeneity regarding the involvement of cognitive functioning in the relationship of PD and ToM. The study aimed to measure affective ToM abilities and cognitive performance in a sample of PD patients, to explore the link between affective ToM abilities and cognitive status, and to examine the impact of PD on affective ToM through the mediator effect of cognitive performance. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-five patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD and 51 healthy controls matched for age, gender and educational level completed a visual affective ToM task (Reading the Mind in the Eyes - RMET), cognitive performance was evaluated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and psychiatric symptoms were measured with BPRS-E (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale). RESULTS Affective ToM abilities were preserved in early PD patients, declining as the disease progressed. Deficits in cognitive functioning predicted deficiencies in affective ToM. Although attention (AT), executive functions (EF) and visuospatial abilities (VSA) together mediated the relationship between PD and affective ToM, only VSA impairment had a specific negative impact on affective ToM. Moreover, 41% of the total effect of attention and executive functions on affective ToM was mediated by visuospatial skills. CONCLUSION Cognitive performance may have an impact on the relationship between PD and affective ToM through the involvement of VSA. The influence of AT and EF in this relationship appears to be also exerted by PD patients' VSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana-Maria Romosan
- Department of Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Liana Dehelean
- Department of Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Radu-Stefan Romosan
- Department of Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Minodora Andor
- Department of Internal Medicine, Discipline of Medical Semiology II, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ana Cristina Bredicean
- Department of Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Mihaela Adriana Simu
- Department of Neurosciences, Discipline of Neurology, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
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23
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Yu RL, Chen PS, Tu SC, Tsao WC, Tan CH. Emotion-Specific Affective Theory of Mind Impairment in Parkinson's Disease. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16043. [PMID: 30375420 PMCID: PMC6207749 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33988-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves the frontal-subcortical circuit, an area responsible for processing affective theory of mind (ToM). Patients with PD are expected to experience deficits in the affective ToM. This study aims to investigate whether the ability to infer emotion in others is affected in either young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) or middle-onset PD (MOPD) patients and to test whether the impairments in affective ToM are associated with the motor symptoms. The affective ToM, global mental abilities, and clinical symptoms were assessed in a total of 107 MOPD, 30 YOPD, and 30 normal controls (NCs). The MOPD patients exhibited deficits in affective ToM to the negative and neutral valences, when compared to the participants in the NCs and YOPD group. By conducting gender-stratified analysis, the deficits in affective ToM was only found in female participants. After adjusting for demographic variables, the multiple linear regression model revealed that affective ToM predicted motor symptoms, especially in female MOPD patients. The present study may aid in the development of medical care programs by advocating for a more comprehensive therapeutic plan that includes continuous disease progression monitoring and social skills training for female MOPD patients or their caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rwei-Ling Yu
- Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po See Chen
- Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Ching Tu
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chia Tsao
- Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hsiang Tan
- Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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24
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Cognitive profile of non-demented Parkinson's disease: Meta-analysis of domain and sex-specific deficits. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2018; 60:32-42. [PMID: 30361136 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Better awareness of the cognitive domains affected in non-demented Parkinson's Disease (PD) should improve understanding of cognitive disease mechanisms. A complete understanding of the cognitive areas impaired in non-demented PD is hindered because most studies use small clinical samples without comparison to healthy controls. This meta-analysis examined cumulative evidence across studies to determine if there were impairments in non-demented PD in the three cognitive domains thought to be most widely affected in PD: frontal executive, visuospatial, and verbal memory. Because there are well-documented sex differences in PD, a second objective was to explore sex differences in these findings. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases were searched (1988-March 2017). Random effects models were used to compute and compare effect sizes of differences between PD patients and controls within cognitive domains. Sex differences in effect sizes were also examined in these comparisons. Moderating factors including age, disease duration, motor symptom severity, levodopa dosage, and depression were examined through meta-regression. RESULTS PD patients showed deficits of moderate effect sizes in all three cognitive domains relative to controls. Significant sex differences were observed only for frontal executive abilities, with male PD patients showing greater deficits than female PD patients relative to controls. No moderators of effect sizes were identified in the domain specific overall or sex-segregated meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that non-demented PD patients have deficits of moderate magnitude in frontal executive, verbal memory, and visuospatial abilities. Our findings of greater frontal executive deficits in males warrant further confirmation.
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Lange F, Brückner C, Knebel A, Seer C, Kopp B. Executive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: A meta-analysis on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 93:38-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Performance of Patients with Early Parkinson Disease on an Executive and Social Cognition Battery. Cogn Behav Neurol 2018; 31:142-150. [DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Wen T, Liu DC, Hsieh S. Connectivity patterns in cognitive control networks predict naturalistic multitasking ability. Neuropsychologia 2018; 114:195-202. [PMID: 29729277 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Multitasking is a fundamental aspect of everyday life activities. To achieve a complex, multi-component goal, the tasks must be subdivided into sub-tasks and component steps, a critical function of prefrontal networks. The prefrontal cortex is considered to be organized in a cascade of executive processes from the sensorimotor to anterior prefrontal cortex, which includes execution of specific goal-directed action, to encoding and maintaining task rules, and finally monitoring distal goals. In the current study, we used a virtual multitasking paradigm to tap into real-world performance and relate it to each individual's resting-state functional connectivity in fMRI. While did not find any correlation between global connectivity of any of the major networks with multitasking ability, global connectivity of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) was predictive of multitasking ability. Further analysis showed that multivariate connectivity patterns within the sensorimotor network (SMN), and between-network connectivity of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and dorsal attention network (DAN), predicted individual multitasking ability and could be generalized to novel individuals. Together, these results support previous research that prefrontal networks underlie multitasking abilities and show that connectivity patterns in the cascade of prefrontal networks may explain individual differences in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Wen
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, CB2 7EF Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - De-Cyuan Liu
- Department of Psychology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Shulan Hsieh
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, 70101, Tainan, Taiwan; Institute of Allied Health Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
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Lee T, Thalamuthu A, Henry JD, Trollor JN, Ames D, Wright MJ, Sachdev PS. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Language Ability in Older Adults: Findings from the Older Australian Twins Study. Behav Genet 2018; 48:187-197. [PMID: 29619677 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-018-9897-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We used a sub-sample from the Older Australian Twins Study to estimate the heritability of performance on three tests of language ability: Boston Naming Test (BNT), Letter/Phonemic Fluency (FAS) and Category/Semantic Fluency (CFT) Tests. After adjusting for age, sex, education, mood, and global cognition (GC), heritability estimates obtained for the three tests were 0.35, 0.59, and 0.20, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that the genetic correlation were high for BNT and CFT (0.61), but low for BNT and FAS (0.17), and for FAS and CFT (0.28). Genetic modelling with Cholesky decomposition indicated that the covariation between the three measures could be explained by a common genetic factor. Environmental correlations between the language ability measures were low, and there were considerable specific environmental influences for each measure. Future longitudinal studies with language performance and neuroimaging data can further our understanding of genetic and environmental factors involved in the process of cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Lee
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. .,Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia. .,Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), NPI Euroa Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, UNSW Sydney, Barker St., Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia.
| | - A Thalamuthu
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - J D Henry
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - J N Trollor
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - D Ames
- St George's Hospital, University of Melbourne Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Victoria, Australia
| | - M J Wright
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - P S Sachdev
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
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Aita SL, Beach JD, Taylor SE, Borgogna NC, Harrell MN, Hill BD. Executive, language, or both? An examination of the construct validity of verbal fluency measures. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2018.1439830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Rosi A, Bruine de Bruin W, Del Missier F, Cavallini E, Russo R. Decision-making competence in younger and older adults: which cognitive abilities contribute to the application of decision rules? AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2017; 26:174-189. [PMID: 29283001 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1418283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Older adults perform worse than younger adults when applying decision rules to choose between options that vary along multiple attributes. Although previous studies have shown that general fluid cognitive abilities contribute to the accurate application of decision rules, relatively little is known about which specific cognitive abilities play the most important role. We examined the independent roles of working memory, verbal fluency, semantic knowledge, and components of executive functioning. We found that age-related decline in applying decision rules was statistically mediated by age-related decline in working memory and verbal fluency. Our results have implications for theories of aging and decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Rosi
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Wändi Bruine de Bruin
- b Centre for Decision Research , Leeds University Business School , Leeds , UK.,c Department of Engineering and Public Policy , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , PA , USA
| | - Fabio Del Missier
- d Department of Life Sciences , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy.,e Department of Psychology , Stockholm University , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Elena Cavallini
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy
| | - Riccardo Russo
- a Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy.,f Department of Psychology , University of Essex , Colchester , UK
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The relationship between executive functions and fluid intelligence in euthymic Bipolar Disorder patients. Psychiatry Res 2017; 257:346-351. [PMID: 28800514 PMCID: PMC5637303 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Distinct cognitive deficits have been described in Bipolar disorder (BD), including executive impairments, commonly attributed to frontal dysfunction. However, recent attention has been paid to the heterogeneity of cognitive functioning in this population, suggesting that the executive deficits observed in BD might be due to a loss in fluid intelligence (g). Following our previous line of investigation in multiple neurological and psychiatric conditions we aimed at determining the role of g in frontal deficits in BD. Euthymic BD patients (n = 51) and healthy controls (n = 37) were assessed with Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Verbal Fluency, Trail Making Test B (TMTB), a multitasking test, and a theory of mind test. A general cognitive battery was used to derive a measure of g. As in other neuropsychiatric conditions, significant patient-control differences in WCST, Verbal Fluency and TMTB were removed when g was introduced as a covariate. Deficits remained significant in the multitasking test. We suggest that neuropsychological assessment in BD should include tests of general intelligence, together with one or more specific tasks that allow for the assessment of residual frontal deficits, putatively associated with anterior frontal functioning.
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Trojsi F, Di Nardo F, Santangelo G, Siciliano M, Femiano C, Passaniti C, Caiazzo G, Fratello M, Cirillo M, Monsurrò MR, Esposito F, Tedeschi G. Resting state fMRI correlates of Theory of Mind impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cortex 2017; 97:1-16. [PMID: 29073458 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Revised: 05/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to recognize thoughts and emotions of another, may be one of the cognitive domains affected in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease now recognized as a multi-system disorder. The present study aimed to identify early dysfunctions of brain resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) networks in a group of ALS patients longitudinally explored for impairment of "cognitive" and "affective" ToM subcomponents. RS-fMRI connectivity was investigated in a group of 21 patients with ALS (i.e., 9 with bulbar-onset or ALS-B and 12 with limb-onset or ALS-L) in early stages of disease and 15 healthy controls (HCs). The same subjects were assessed, at baseline and after six months, for neuropsychological performances, including cognitive and affective ToM and multi-domain cognitive functions. The RS-fMRI study showed a decreased connectivity in frontotemporal areas within the main cognitive resting state networks, including the default mode (DMN), the right and left fronto-parietal (R-, L-FPN), and the salience (SLN) networks, in the entire ALS group. As exploratory results, comparing the ALS-B subgroup to the ALS-L one, we revealed a widespread decrease of RS-fMRI signals in the left middle frontal gyrus for L-FPN and SLN and in the left superior frontal gyrus for SLN. At baseline, no ToM or other cognitive abnormalities were reported in the entire group of ALS patients compared to HCs, although, after six months, the ALS-B subset exhibited a significant impairment of both affective and cognitive ToM subcomponents, whereas the ALS-L group showed significant impairment of the cognitive subcomponent alone. Our findings provide original evidence of the deficit of both ToM subcomponents during the ALS course, supporting the hypothesis of a biologically more aggressive character of ALS-B. Moreover, early RS-fMRI abnormalities in cognitive networks may underlie and precede the clinical appearance of ToM alterations in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Trojsi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Di Nardo
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Mattia Siciliano
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy; Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Cinzia Femiano
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Carla Passaniti
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Caiazzo
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Fratello
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Cirillo
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Monsurrò
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, Baronissi, Salerno, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, MRI Research Centre - Hermitage Capodimonte, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
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Gordon JK, Young M, Garcia C. Why do older adults have difficulty with semantic fluency? AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2017; 25:803-828. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1374328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean K. Gordon
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Megan Young
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Carly Garcia
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Trojsi F, Siciliano M, Russo A, Passaniti C, Femiano C, Ferrantino T, De Liguoro S, Lavorgna L, Monsurrò MR, Tedeschi G, Santangelo G. Theory of Mind and Its Neuropsychological and Quality of Life Correlates in the Early Stages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1934. [PMID: 28018269 PMCID: PMC5149517 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aims to explore the potential impairment of Theory of Mind (ToM; i.e., the ability to represent cognitive and affective mental states to both self and others) and the clinical, neuropsychological and Quality of Life (QoL) correlates of these cognitive abnormalities in the early stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multisystem neurodegenerative disease recently recognized as a part of the same clinical and pathological spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Twenty-two consecutive, cognitively intact ALS patients, and 15 healthy controls, underwent assessment of executive, verbal comprehension, visuospatial, behavioral, and QoL measures, as well as of the ToM abilities by Emotion Attribution Task (EAT), Advanced Test of ToM (ATT), and Eyes Task (ET). ALS patients obtained significantly lower scores than controls on EAT and ET. No significant difference was found between the two groups on ATT. As regard to type of ALS onset, patients with bulbar onset performed worse than those with spinal onset on ET. Correlation analysis revealed that EAT and ET were positively correlated with education, memory prose, visuo-spatial performances, and “Mental Health” scores among QoL items. Our results suggest that not only “cognitive” but also “affective” subcomponents of ToM may be impaired in the early stages of ALS, with significant linkage to disease onset and dysfunctions of less executively demanding conditions, causing potential impact on patients’ “Mental Health.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Trojsi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Mattia Siciliano
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli"Naples, Italy; Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli"Caserta, Italy
| | - Antonio Russo
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Carla Passaniti
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Caserta, Italy
| | - Cinzia Femiano
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Teresa Ferrantino
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Stefania De Liguoro
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Lavorgna
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Maria R Monsurrò
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences - MRI Research Center SUN-FISM, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi della Campania "L. Vanvitelli" Caserta, Italy
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Buczylowska D, Daseking M, Petermann F. Age-related differences in the predictive ability of executive functions for intelligence. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR NEUROPSYCHOLOGIE 2016. [DOI: 10.1024/1016-264x/a000179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The Executive Functions Module of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) were used to investigate age-related differences in the predictability of intelligence with executive functions. The NAB subtests age and sex better predicted the WAIS-IV index scales and the Full Scale IQ in the older than in the younger age group, with total variance explained up to 75 % in 60- to 88-year-olds and up to 46 % in 18- to 59-year-olds. The NAB subtests Categories and Word Generation were most frequently included, whereas Letter Fluency was least frequently included in the best-fitting models of WAIS-IV prediction. Mazes predicted better in the younger age group, whereas Judgment predicted better in the older age group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Buczylowska
- Zentrum für Klinische Psychologie und Rehabilitation, Universität Bremen, Germany
| | - Monika Daseking
- Zentrum für Klinische Psychologie und Rehabilitation, Universität Bremen, Germany
| | - Franz Petermann
- Zentrum für Klinische Psychologie und Rehabilitation, Universität Bremen, Germany
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Buczylowska D, Petermann F. Age-related commonalities and differences in the relationship between executive functions and intelligence: Analysis of the NAB executive functions module and WAIS-IV scores. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2016; 24:465-480. [DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2016.1211528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Buczylowska
- Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Franz Petermann
- Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Abdel Aziz K, Khater MS, Emara T, Tawfik HM, Rasheedy D, Mohammedin AS, Tolba MF, El-Gabry DA, Qassem T. Effects of age, education, and gender on verbal fluency in healthy adult Arabic-speakers in Egypt. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2016; 24:331-341. [PMID: 27282630 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2016.1185424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study is to establish the effects of age, gender, and education and to provide preliminary normative data for letter and category fluency tasks in the Egyptian Arabic-speaking population. We evaluated 139 cognitively healthy volunteers aged 20-93 by adapting the letter and category verbal fluency tasks for the Egyptian population. On the letter fluency task, mean number of words generated in one-minute beginning with the Arabic letter "Sheen" (pronounced "sh") was 8.14 words per minute (SD = 3.25). Letter fluency was significantly influenced by education. On category fluency tasks, mean number of animal names generated in one minute was 14.63 words (SD = 5.28). Category fluency was significantly influenced by age and education. We were able identify that age significantly affects category fluency while education significantly affected both letter and category fluency. We were also able to provide preliminary normative data for both tasks in the Egyptian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Abdel Aziz
- a Department of Psychiatry , United Arab Emirates University , Al-Ain , United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed S Khater
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Tamer Emara
- c Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Heba M Tawfik
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Doha Rasheedy
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Ahmed S Mohammedin
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Mohammad F Tolba
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | | | - Tarik Qassem
- d Psychiatry Department , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt.,e Old Age Psychiatry Service , Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation NHS Trust , West Bromwich , United Kingdom.,f Psychiatry Department , University of Warwick , Coventry , United Kingdom
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Bertoux M, O'Callaghan C, Dubois B, Hornberger M. In two minds: executive functioning versus theory of mind in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2016; 87:231-4. [PMID: 26492929 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2015-311643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship of executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) deficits in neurodegeneration is still debated. There is contradicting evidence as to whether these cognitive processes are overlapping or distinct, which has clear clinical relevance for the evaluation of their associated clinical symptoms. AIM To investigate the relationship of EF and ToM deficits via a data-driven approach in a large sample of patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). METHODS Data of 46 patients with bvFTD were employed in a hierarchical cluster analysis to determine the similarity of variance between different EF measures (verbal abstraction, verbal initiation, motor programming, sensitivity to interference, inhibitory control, visual abstraction, flexibility, working memory/attention) and ToM (faux pas). RESULTS Overall results showed that EF measures were clustered separately from the ToM measure. A post hoc analysis revealed a more complex picture where selected ToM subcomponents (empathy; intention) showed a relationship to specific EF measures (verbal abstraction; working memory/attention), whereas the remaining EF and ToM subcomponents were separate. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings suggest that EF and ToM are distinct components; however, ToM empathy and intention subcomponents might share some functions with specific EF processes. This has important implications for guiding diagnostic assessment of these deficits in clinical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Bertoux
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Université Paris VI, Paris, France
| | | | - Bruno Dubois
- Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Université Paris VI, Paris, France
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Fluid intelligence (Gf) has been related to executive functioning (EF) in previous studies, and it is also known to be correlated with crystallized intelligence (Gc). The present study includes representative measures of Gf, Gc, and EF frequently used in clinical practice to examine this Gf-EF relation. It is hypothesised that the Gf-EF relation is higher than the Gc-EF relation, and that working memory in particular (as a measure of EF) shows a high contribution to this relation. METHOD Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on a mixed neuropsychiatric and non-clinical sample consisting of 188 participants, using the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, and three executive tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, covering working memory, planning skills, and set shifting. RESULTS The model fitted the data well [χ²(24)=35.25, p=0.07, RMSEA=0.050]. A very high correlation between Gf and EF was found (0.91), with working memory being the most profound indicator. A moderate to high correlation between Gc and EF was present. Current results are consistent with findings of a strong relation between Gf and working memory. CONCLUSION Gf and EF are highly correlated. Gf dysfunction in neuropsychiatric patients warrants further EF examination and vice versa. It is discussed that results confirm the need to distinguish between specific versus general fluid/executive functioning, the latter being more involved when task complexity and novelty increase. This distinction can provide a more refined differential diagnosis and improve neuropsychiatric treatment indication.
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Executive functioning in schizophrenia: Unique and shared variance with measures of fluid intelligence. Brain Cogn 2015; 99:57-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 07/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Stievano P, Scalisi TG. Unique designs, errors and strategies in the Five-Point Test: The contribution of age, phonemic fluency and visuospatial abilities in Italian children aged 6–11 years. Child Neuropsychol 2014; 22:197-219. [DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2014.988607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Gonzalez-Gadea ML, Tripicchio P, Rattazzi A, Baez S, Marino J, Roca M, Manes F, Ibanez A. Inter-individual cognitive variability in children with Asperger's syndrome. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:575. [PMID: 25132817 PMCID: PMC4117184 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger's syndrome (AS). However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance) on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed of motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luz Gonzalez-Gadea
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Paula Tripicchio
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alexia Rattazzi
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sandra Baez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Universidad Catolica Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julian Marino
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Cordoba, Argentina
| | - Maria Roca
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Facundo Manes
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Agustin Ibanez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Sydney, NSW, Australia ; Universidad Autonoma del Caribe Barranquilla, Colombia
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Shao Z, Janse E, Visser K, Meyer AS. What do verbal fluency tasks measure? Predictors of verbal fluency performance in older adults. Front Psychol 2014; 5:772. [PMID: 25101034 PMCID: PMC4106453 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 586] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined the contributions of verbal ability and executive control to verbal fluency performance in older adults (n = 82). Verbal fluency was assessed in letter and category fluency tasks, and performance on these tasks was related to indicators of vocabulary size, lexical access speed, updating, and inhibition ability. In regression analyses the number of words produced in both fluency tasks was predicted by updating ability, and the speed of the first response was predicted by vocabulary size and, for category fluency only, lexical access speed. These results highlight the hybrid character of both fluency tasks, which may limit their usefulness for research and clinical purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeshu Shao
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Esther Janse
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Karina Visser
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Antje S Meyer
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Roca M, Manes F, Cetkovich M, Bruno D, Ibáñez A, Torralva T, Duncan J. The relationship between executive functions and fluid intelligence in schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:46. [PMID: 24605092 PMCID: PMC3932409 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
An enduring question is unity vs. separability of executive deficits resulting from impaired frontal lobe function. In previous studies, we have asked how executive deficits link to a conventional measure of fluid intelligence, obtained either by standard tests of novel problem-solving, or by averaging performance in a battery of novel tasks. For some classical executive tasks, such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Verbal Fluency, and Trail Making Test B (TMTB), frontal deficits are entirely explained by fluid intelligence. However, on a second set of executive tasks, including tests of multitasking and decision making, deficits exceed those predicted by fluid intelligence loss. In this paper we discuss how these results shed light on the diverse clinical phenomenology observed in frontal dysfunction, and present new data on a group of 15 schizophrenic patients and 14 controls. Subjects were assessed with a range of executive tests and with a general cognitive battery used to derive a measure of fluid intelligence. Group performance was compared and fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate. In line with our previous results, significant patient-control differences in classical executive tests were removed when fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate. However, for tests of multitasking and decision making, deficits remained. We relate our findings to those of previous factor analytic studies describing a single principal component, which accounts for much of the variance of schizophrenic patients' cognitive performance. We propose that this general factor reflects low fluid intelligence capacity, which accounts for much but not all cognitive impairment in this patient group. Partialling out the general effects of fluid intelligence, we propose, may clarify the role of additional, more specific cognitive impairments in conditions such as schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Roca
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience (LaNCyS), UDP-INECO, Foundation Core on Neuroscience (UIFCoN), Diego Portales UniversitySantiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Manes
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Neuropsychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcelo Cetkovich
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Neuropsychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diana Bruno
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience (LaNCyS), UDP-INECO, Foundation Core on Neuroscience (UIFCoN), Diego Portales UniversitySantiago, Chile
- Universidad Autónoma del CaribeBarranquilla, Colombia
| | - Teresa Torralva
- Neuropsychology Research Department, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO)Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Neuropsychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - John Duncan
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitCambridge, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxford, UK
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Translation and validation of Chinese version of the problems in everyday living (PEDL) test in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Int Psychogeriatr 2014; 26:273-84. [PMID: 24229850 DOI: 10.1017/s1041610213001889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment places older adults at increased risk of functional decline, injuries, and hospitalization. Assessments to determine whether older persons are still capable of meeting the cognitive challenges of everyday living are crucial to ensure their safe and independent living in the community. The present study aims to translate and validate the Chinese version of the Problems in Everyday Living (PEDL) test for use in Chinese population with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS The cultural relevancy and content validity of the Chinese version of PEDL (C-PEDL) was evaluated by a seven-member expert panel. Forty patients with MCI and 40 cognitively healthy participants were recruited to examine the psychometric properties of C-PEDL. RESULTS Significant differences in the C-PEDL scores were found between the patients with MCI and the cognitively healthy controls in both educated (F = 9.96, p = 0.003) and illiterate (F = 10.43, p = 0.004) populations. The C-PEDL had excellent test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities, with intraclass correlation coefficient at 0.95 and 0.99 respectively. The internal consistency of C-PEDL was acceptable with Chronbach's α at 0.69. The C-PEDL had moderate correlation with the Mini-Mental State Examination (r = 0.45, p = 0.004) and the Category Verbal Fluency Test (r = 0.40, p = 0.012), and a moderate negative Spearman's correlation with the Global Deteriorating Scale (r = -0.42, p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS The C-PEDL is a valid and reliable test for assessing the everyday problem-solving ability in Chinese older population with MCI.
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Abstract
Cognition is organized in a structured series of attentional episodes, allowing complex problems to be addressed through solution of simpler subproblems. A "multiple-demand" (MD) system of frontal and parietal cortex is active in many different kinds of tasks, and using data from neuroimaging, electrophysiology, neuropsychology, and cognitive studies of intelligence, I propose a core role for MD regions in assembly of the attentional episode. Monkey and human data show dynamic neural coding of attended information across multiple MD regions, with rapid communication within and between regions. Neuropsychological and imaging data link MD function to fluid intelligence, explaining some but not all "executive" deficits after frontal lobe lesions. Cognitive studies link fluid intelligence to goal neglect, and the problem of dividing complex task requirements into focused parts. Like the innate releasing mechanism of ethology, I suggest that construction of the attentional episode provides a core organizational principle for complex, adaptive cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Duncan
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, CB2 7EF UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK.
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Yu RL, Wu RM. Social brain dysfunctions in patients with Parkinson's disease: a review of theory of mind studies. Transl Neurodegener 2013; 2:7. [PMID: 23537376 PMCID: PMC3621839 DOI: 10.1186/2047-9158-2-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Human social interaction is essential in daily life and crucial for a promising life, especially in people who suffer from disease. Theory of Mind (ToM) is fundamental in social interaction and is described as the ability to impute the mental states of others in social situations. Studies have proposed that a complex neuroanatomical network that includes the frontal cortex mediates ToM. The primary neuropathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves the frontal-striatal system; therefore, patients with PD are expected to exhibit deficits in ToM. In this review, we summarize the current research with a particular focus on the patterns of impaired ToM, potential mediators of ToM, and the impact of ToM deficits on clinical disability in PD. Further studies to investigate the progression of ToM and its relationship with dementia in subjects in PD are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rwei-Ling Yu
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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McKinlay A, Albicini M, Kavanagh PS. The effect of cognitive status and visuospatial performance on affective theory of mind in Parkinson's disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2013; 9:1071-6. [PMID: 24019747 PMCID: PMC3760454 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s49104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well accepted that theory of mind (ToM) functioning is impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. However, what remain unknown are the functions that underlie this impairment. It has been suggested that cognitive skills may be key in this area of functioning; however, many of the cognitive tests used to assess this have relied on intact visuospatial abilities. This study aimed to examine whether deficits in ToM were generated by cognitive or visuospatial dysfunction and the mediating effect of visuospatial function on ToM performance. Fifty PD patients (31 male, 19 female; mean age = 66.34 years) and 49 healthy controls (16 male, 33 female; mean age = 67.29 years) completed a ToM task (reading the mind in the eyes) and visuospatial task (line orientation). The results revealed that current cognitive status was a significant predictor for performance on the ToM task, and that 54% of the total effect of cognitive status on ToM was mediated by visuospatial abilities. It was concluded that visuospatial functioning plays an important mediating role for the relationship between executive dysfunction and affective ToM deficits in PD patients, and that visuospatial deficits may directly contribute to the presence of affective ToM difficulties seen in individuals with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey McKinlay
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand ; Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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