Background/Aims: The Trail Making Test (TMT) has long been used to investigate deficits in cognitive processing speed and executive function in humans. However, t

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Trail Making Test Part A and Brain Perfusion Imaging in Mild Alzheimer's Disease

Cognitive impairments are now widely acknowledged as an important aspect of major depressive disorder (MDD), and it has been proposed that executive function (EF) may be particularly impaired in patients with MDD. However, the existence and nature of EF impairments associated with depression remain strongly debated. Although many studies have found significant deficits associated with MDD on neuropsychological measures of EF, others have not, potentially due to low statistical power, task impurity, and diverse patient samples, and there have been no recent, comprehensive, meta-analyses investigating EF in patients with MDD. The current meta-analysis uses random-effects models to synthesize 113 previous research studies that compared participants with MDD to healthy control participants on at least one neuropsychological measure of EF. Results of the meta-analysis demonstrate that MDD is reliably associated with impaired performance on neuropsychological measures of EF, with effect sizes ranging from 0.32 to 0.97. Although patients with MDD also have slower processing speed, motor slowing alone cannot account for these results. In addition, some evidence suggests that deficits on neuropsychological measures of EF are greater in patients with more severe current depression symptoms, and those taking psychotropic medications, whereas evidence for effects of age was weaker. The results are consistent with the theory that MDD is associated with broad impairment in multiple aspects of EF. Implications for treatment of MDD and theories of EF are discussed. Future research is needed to establish the specificity and causal link between MDD and EF impairments.

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Major Depressive Disorder Is Associated With Broad Impairments on Neuropsychological Measures of Executive Function: A Meta-Analysis and Review

The aim of this study was to clarify which cognitive mechanisms underlie Trail Making Test (TMT) direct and derived scores. A comprehensive review of the literature on the topic was carried out to clarify which cognitive factors had been related to TMT performance. Following the review, we explored the relative contribution from working memory, inhibition/interference control, task-switching ability, and visuomotor speed to TMT performance. Forty-one healthy old subjects participated in the study and performed a battery of neuropsychological tests including the TMT, the Digit Symbol subtest [Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Third Version) (WAIS-III)], a Finger Tapping Test, the Digits Forward and Backward subtests (WAIS-III), Stroop Test, and a task-switching paradigm inspired in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Correlation and regression analyses were used in order to clarify the joint and unique contributions from different cognitive factors to the prediction of TMT scores. The results suggest that TMT-A requires mainly visuoperceptual abilities, TMT-B reflects primarily working memory and secondarily task-switching ability, while B-A minimizes visuoperceptual and working memory demands, providing a relatively pure indicator of executive control abilities.

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Construct validity of the Trail Making Test: Role of task-switching, working memory, inhibition/interference control, and visuomotor abilities

Insomnia with objective short sleep duration: the most biologically severe phenotype of the disorder.

Methodology of frontal and executive function

Trail Making Test in traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, and normal ageing: Sample comparisons and normative data

Introduccion. Las consecuencias del dano cerebral adquirido incluyen alteraciones en el funcionamiento cognitivo, emocional y conductual de las personas afectadas. La neuropsicologia proporciona tecnicas que permiten tratar dichas alteraciones; de ahi la importancia de establecer cuales, de entre todas las herramientas disponibles, son las mas eficaces para este objetivo. Desarrollo. El presente articulo revisa los estudios existentes sobre efectividad de la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica, centrandose en aquellas areas y procesos cognitivos alterados con mas frecuencia. El fin ultimo del articulo es servir de guia y orientar la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica de estos pacientes a partir de las evidencias mas solidas existentes en la literatura, especialmente en procesos como la atencion y la heminegligencia, la memoria y el lenguaje. Conclusion. Existen evidencias suficientes para recomendar la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica de los procesos antes senalados en poblacion con dano cerebral adquirido.

Efectividad de la rehabilitación neuropsicológica en el daño cerebral adquirido (I): atención, velocidad de procesamiento, memoria y lenguaje

Introduccion Las consecuencias del dano cerebral adquirido incluyen alteraciones en el funcionamiento cognitivo, emocional y conductual de las personas afectadas La neuropsicologia proporciona tecnicas que permiten tratar dichas alteraciones; de ahi la importancia de establecer cuales, de entre todas las herramientas disponibles, son las mas eficaces para este objetivo Desarrollo El presente articulo revisa los estudios existentes sobre efectividad de la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica, centrandose en aquellas areas y procesos cognitivos alterados con mas frecuencia El fin ultimo del articulo es servir de guia y orientar la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica de estos pacientes a partir de las evidencias mas solidas existentes en la bibliografia En esta segunda parte, nos centraremos en la rehabilitacion de las funciones ejecutivas, la modificacion de conducta y la psicoterapia aplicadas en este ambito, asi como el uso de nuevas tecnologias Conclusion Existen evidencias suficientes para recomendar la rehabilitacion neuropsicologica de las funciones ejecutivas, asi como el uso de las tecnicas antes mencionadas en poblacion con dano cerebral adquirido

Efectividad de la rehabilitación neuropsicológica en el daño cerebral adquirido (II): funciones ejecutivas, modificación de conducta y psicoterapia, y uso de nuevas tecnologías

Ignacio Sánchez-Cubillo

Papers

Construct validity of the Trail Making Test: Role of task-switching, working memory, inhibition/interference control, and visuomotor abilities

Trail Making Test in traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, and normal ageing: Sample comparisons and normative data

Efectividad de la rehabilitación neuropsicológica en el daño cerebral adquirido (I): atención, velocidad de procesamiento, memoria y lenguaje

Efectividad de la rehabilitación neuropsicológica en el daño cerebral adquirido (II): funciones ejecutivas, modificación de conducta y psicoterapia, y uso de nuevas tecnologías