A deficit in attentional set-shifting of violent offenders

Background. Recent brain imaging studies suggest that proneness to violence and antisocial behaviour may be associated with dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex. The present study, therefore, examined aspects of prefrontally guided executive functions in a group of criminal violent men.Methods. Violent offenders undergoing forensic psychiatric examination by court order undertook computerized tasks for planning, visual working memory and attentional set-shifting from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Their performance was compared to that of subjects with marginal mental retardation and normal controls.Results. Violent offenders performed well on tasks for spatial and figurative working memory, as well as on a test for planning. A marked impairment was observed in the attentional set-shifting task: offenders made significantly more errors than the other groups when required to shift attention from one perceptual dimension to another. Reversal learning was also deficient. Correlational analyses within the offender group revealed that poor performance on the perceptual shift problem was associated with fewer errors in tasks for working memory and planning.Conclusions. The present results suggest that violent offenders show dual impairments in inhibitory cognitive control. First, they are deficient in shifting attention from one category to another. Secondly, the ability to alter behaviour in response to fluctuations in the emotional significance of stimuli is compromised. These deficits might constitute cognitive reflections of the biological prefrontal alterations observed in this group of people.

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Exploring the link between character, personality disorder, and neuropsychological function

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2003.03.008 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 334-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Å.H Bergvall ◽

T Nilsson ◽

S Hansen

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Personality Disorder ◽

Visual Working Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Neuropsychological Functioning ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting ◽

Personality Disordered

AbstractPersonality deviations and deficits in cognitive executive function are common among forensic populations. The present study on incarcerated offenders explored whether there are links between the two domains. Personality was assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Neuropsychological performance, including visual working memory, attentional set-shifting and planning, were tested with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Subjects with personality disorders scored high on harm avoidance, and low on self-directedness and cooperativeness. Personality disordered offenders did not differ from the comparison groups (offenders without personality disorder, and non-criminal controls) with regard to CANTAB measures of visual working memory (delayed matching to sample, spatial working memory) and planning (Stockings of Cambridge), but they made a larger number of errors on the attentional set-shifting task. Dimensional analysis of the personality and neuropsychological variables revealed significant associations between self-directedness and cooperativeness on the one hand, and attentional set-shifting on the other. Intellectually disabled, non-criminal individuals (marginal mental retardation) who performed poorly on attentional set-shifting also scored low on self-directedness and cooperativeness. The results indicate that poor development of certain personality traits may be associated with deficits in neuropsychological functioning.

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Automatic Intra-/Extra-Dimensional Attentional Set-Shifting Task in Adolescent Mice

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2021.704684 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Mariasole Ciampoli ◽

Diego Scheggia ◽

Francesco Papaleo

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽

Sorting Test ◽

Set Shifting Task

Adolescence is a developmental period crucial for the maturation of higher-order cognitive functions. Indeed, adolescence deficits in executive functions are strong predictors of increased vulnerability to several mental disabilities later in life. Here, we tested adolescent mice in a fully-automated attentional set-shifting task equivalent to the humans’ Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Intra-/Extra-Dimensional set-shift task (ID/ED). Compared to an adult, adolescent mice required more time to complete the task (≈16 days), and a higher percentage failed to finish the entire task. Nevertheless, adolescent mice completing this demanding task showed an increased effort in solving the extradimensional shift stage (EDS) compared to previous stages. Moreover, we found that this paradigm can be used to detect early cognitive dysfunctions in adolescent genetically modified mice. Thus, this automatic paradigm provides a further tool to assess attentional control in adolescent mice, and the development of dysfunctional executive functions from adolescence to adulthood.

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Attentional set-shifting ability in first-episode and established schizophrenia: Relationship to working memory

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/j.schres.2009.03.039 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 112 (1-3) ◽

pp. 104-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Christos Pantelis ◽

Stephen J. Wood ◽

Tina M. Proffitt ◽

Renee Testa ◽

Kate Mahony ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

First Episode ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting

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Dopaminergic basis for deficits in working memory but not attentional set-shifting in Parkinson's disease

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.10.001 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 823-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 183

Author(s):

Simon J.G. Lewis ◽

Aleksandra Slabosz ◽

Trevor W. Robbins ◽

Roger A. Barker ◽

Adrian M. Owen

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Working Memory ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting

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Relationship of behavioural and symptomatic syndromes in schizophrenia to spatial working memory and attentional set-shifting ability

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291703001569 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 693-703 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

C. PANTELIS ◽

C. A. HARVEY ◽

G. PLANT ◽

E. FOSSEY ◽

P. MARUFF ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Memory Task ◽

Behavioural Syndrome ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Specific Relationship ◽

Attentional Set Shifting ◽

Thought Disturbance ◽

Relationship Of

Background. Behavioural syndromes (thought disturbance, social withdrawal, depressed behaviour and antisocial behaviour) offer a different perspective from that of symptomatic syndromes on the disability that may be associated with schizophrenia. Few studies have assessed their relationship with neuropsychological deficits. We hypothesized that these syndromes may represent behavioural manifestations of frontal-subcortical impairments, previously described in schizophrenia.Method. Long-stay inpatients (n=54) and community patients (n=43) with enduring schizophrenia were assessed, using measures of symptoms and behaviour and tests of executive functioning. The relationship between syndromes and neuropsychological function was assessed using multiple regression and logistic regression analyses.Results. Significant associations were found between performance on the spatial working memory task and the psychomotor poverty symptomatic syndrome, and between attentional set-shifting ability and both disorganization symptoms and the thought disturbance behavioural syndrome. These results were not explained by the effect of premorbid IQ, geographical location, length of illness or antipsychotic medication. Length of illness was an independent predictor of attentional set-shifting ability but not of working memory performance.Conclusion. The specific relationship between negative symptoms and spatial working memory is consistent with involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The associations between difficulty with set-shifting ability and both disorganization symptoms and behaviours may reflect inability to generalize a rule that had been learned and impaired ability to respond flexibly. The specific relationship of illness duration to set-shifting ability may suggest progressive impairment on some executive tasks. The nature of these relationships and their neurobiological and rehabilitation implications are considered.

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Neuropsychological evidence for frontostriatal dysfunction in schizophrenia

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700033523 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 619-630 ◽

Cited By ~ 180

Author(s):

R. Elliott ◽

P. J. McKenna ◽

T. W. Robbins ◽

B. J. Sahakian

Keyword(s):

Wisconsin Card Sort Test ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Perceptual Dimension ◽

Card Sort ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting ◽

Significant Impairment ◽

Learned Irrelevance ◽

Neuropsychological Evidence ◽

State Examination

SYNOPSISSchizophrenics and controls were compared on a computerized test of attentional set-shifting which provides a componential analysis of the Wisconsin Card Sort Test and has previously been shown to be sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction and Parkinson's disease. The main test was of extra-dimensional shifting where subjects are required to shift reponse to an alternative perceptual dimension. In one condition, termed ‘perseveration’, subjects are required to shift to a novel dimension and ignore the previously relevant one. In the other condition, termed ‘learned irrelevance’, subjects are required to shift to the previously irrelevant dimension and ignore a novel one. Chronic medicated schizophrenics (N = 32) show a highly significant impairment on the perseveration but not the learned irrelevance condition, as compared to normal age and IQ matched controls (N = 24). This was true even of a subgroup of patients with preserved IQ. The impairments in attentional set-shifting failed to correlate with patients' scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (mean; S.D. 26·8; 1·8) or with scores on a test of recognition memory. These results provide evidence for a specific deficit in a set-shifting test of executive function and support a hypothesis of frontostriatal dysfunction in schizophrenia.

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Individual differences in cognitive-flexibility: The influence of spontaneous eyeblink rate, trait psychoticism and working memory on attentional set-shifting

Brain and Cognition ◽

10.1016/j.bandc.2010.10.010 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 119-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Ian J. Tharp ◽

Alan D. Pickering

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting

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Differences in executive functioning between violent and non-violent offenders

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717000241 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (10) ◽

pp. 1784-1793 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

J. Meijers ◽

J. M. Harte ◽

G. Meynen ◽

P. Cuijpers

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Response Inhibition ◽

Partial Correlation ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Violent Offenders ◽

Test Battery ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Neuropsychological Test Battery

BackgroundA growing body of neuropsychological and neurobiological research shows a relationship between functioning of the prefrontal cortex and criminal and violent behaviour. The prefrontal cortex is crucial for executive functions such as inhibition, attention, working memory, set-shifting and planning. A deficit in these functions – a prefrontal deficit – may result in antisocial, impulsive or even aggressive behaviour. While several meta-analyses show large effect sizes for the relationship between a prefrontal deficit, executive dysfunction and criminality, there are few studies investigating differences in executive functions between violent and non-violent offenders. Considering the relevance of identifying risk factors for violent offending, the current study explores whether a distinction between violent and non-violent offenders can be made using an extensive neuropsychological test battery.MethodMale remand prisoners (N = 130) in Penitentiary Institution Amsterdam Over-Amstel were administered an extensive neuropsychological test battery (Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery; CANTAB) measuring response inhibition, planning, attention, set-shifting, working memory and impulsivity/reward sensitivity.ResultsViolent offenders performed significantly worse on the stop-signal task (partial correlation r = 0.205, p = 0.024), a task measuring response inhibition. No further differences were found between violent and non-violent offenders. Explorative analyses revealed a significant relationship between recidivism and planning (partial correlation r = −0.209, p = 0.016).ConclusionViolent offenders show worse response inhibition compared to non-violent offenders, suggesting a more pronounced prefrontal deficit in violent offenders than in non-violent offenders.

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