Working memory and information processing speed in children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus: Analysis of the Children's Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test

The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is a commonly used procedure that combines elements of both a working memory task and a test of information processing speed. Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have consistently been found to be impaired on this test and it has been recommended as a core outcome measure in clinical trials. The standard score for this task is the number of correct responses at each stimulus presentation rate but a concern has been raised that subjects may ignore some test items in order to chunk the information into manageable portions and avoid performing several cognitive tasks simultaneously. To account for this strategy, one can examine the proportion of correct responses that are consecutive (termed dyads), since such responses require that the task be performed according to the instructions. We compared a group of 35 mildly to moderately disabled MS patients and matched healthy controls on the PASAT. The MS patients made significantly fewer correct responses at the 2 slowest presentation rates (2.4, 2.0 s/digit) while their scores at faster rates (1.6, 1.2 s/digit) did not discriminate them from controls as well. Nevertheless, the MS patients' percentage of dyads was significantly lower than that of the control sample across all stimulus presentation rates. While our study supports the use of the PASAT as a test that distinguishes MS patients from healthy individuals, our results also illustrate problems that lie in the interpretation of this difference in performance. It appears that a chunking strategy may be common in the PASAT, particularly as task demands increase, and that this may mask actual performance differences. If so, the total correct response score alone is limited as a measure of working memory and information processing speed. More detailed analyses of PASAT performance, coupled with other measures of information processing, may help clarify the underlying cognitive deficits of MS patients. (JINS, 2001, 7, 363–372.)

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Evaluating the relationship between working memory and information processing speed in multiple sclerosis

Applied Neuropsychology Adult ◽

10.1080/23279095.2020.1804911 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Zoe Kouvatsou ◽

Elvira Masoura ◽

Grigoris Kiosseoglou ◽

Vasilios K. Kimiskidis

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Working Memory ◽

Information Processing ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

The Relationship

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The Reliability and Validity of the Action Fluency Test in Healthy College Students

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz016 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 1175-1191 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Thomas P Ross ◽

Sydne O’Connor ◽

Graham Holmes ◽

Brittany Fuller ◽

Megan Henrich

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Working Memory ◽

Information Processing ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

Perceptual Reasoning ◽

Fluency Test

Abstract Objective This study examined the test–retest reliability and construct validity of the Action Fluency Test (AFT) as a measure of executive functioning. Method Using a correlational design, 128 healthy college students (M Age = 19.24, SD = 2.01; M education = 13.29 years, SD = 0.81) completed the AFT, and measures of verbal and figural fluency, executive functioning and other relevant constructs (e.g., vocabulary, working memory, and attention). Results Coefficients of stability were acceptable for AFT correct words (r = .76; p < .01), but not for errors (r = .41) or perseverations (r = .14). No practice effects were observed upon repeat testing (M interval = 39.21 days). Divergent validity evidence was mixed. AFT scores were unrelated to working memory and perceptual-reasoning abilities; however, correlations with vocabulary (r = .32; p < .01) and information-processing speed (r = .30; p < .01) were greater than associations between AFT scores and executive measures. Regarding convergent validity, AFT scores correlated with other fluency tasks (r = .4 range), but correlations with measures of executive functioning were absent or small. Action and letter fluency correlated with measures of attentional control and inhibition; however, these associations were no longer significant after controlling for shared variance with information-processing speed. Conclusions Findings are consistent with previous research suggesting vocabulary and information-processing speed underlie effective fluency performance to a greater extent than executive functioning. The AFT measures unique variance not accounted for by semantic and letter fluency tasks, and therefore may be used for a variety of research and clinical purposes.

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Information-processing speed is the primary deficit underlying the poor performance of multiple sclerosis patients in the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology ◽

10.1080/13803390701779560 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 789-796 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

C. Forn ◽

A. Belenguer ◽

M. A. Parcet-Ibars ◽

C. Ávila

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Information Processing ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

The Poor ◽

Primary Deficit ◽

Serial Addition ◽

Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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The Role of Working Memory and Information Processing Speed on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Performance in Parkinson Disease Without Dementia

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology ◽

10.1177/0891988712466456 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 215-221 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Athanasia Liozidou ◽

Constantin Potagas ◽

Sokratis G. Papageorgiou ◽

Ioannis Zalonis

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Information Processing ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Test Performance ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽

Sorting Test

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T1 Relaxation Times in the Cortex and Thalamus Are Associated With Working Memory and Information Processing Speed in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.789812 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Thaler ◽

Isabelle Hartramph ◽

Jan-Patrick Stellmann ◽

Christoph Heesen ◽

Maxim Bester ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Information Processing ◽

Processing Speed ◽

T1 Mapping ◽

Relaxation Times ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

T1 Relaxation

Background: Cortical and thalamic pathologies have been associated with cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).Objective: We aimed to quantify cortical and thalamic damage in patients with MS using a high-resolution T1 mapping technique and to evaluate the association of these changes with clinical and cognitive impairment.Methods: The study group consisted of 49 patients with mainly relapsing-remitting MS and 17 age-matched healthy controls who received 3T MRIs including a T1 mapping sequence (MP2RAGE). Mean T1 relaxation times (T1-RT) in the cortex and thalami were compared between patients with MS and healthy controls. Additionally, correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between MRI parameters and clinical and cognitive disability.Results: Patients with MS had significantly decreased normalized brain, gray matter, and white matter volumes, as well as increased T1-RT in the normal-appearing white matter, compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). Partial correlation analysis with age, sex, and disease duration as covariates revealed correlations for T1-RT in the cortex (r = −0.33, p < 0.05), and thalami (right thalamus: r = −0.37, left thalamus: r = −0.50, both p < 0.05) with working memory and information processing speed, as measured by the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test.Conclusion: T1-RT in the cortex and thalamus correlate with information processing speed in patients with MS.

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Neuropsychological Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis

Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie ◽

10.1024/1016-264x/a000197 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 117-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sascha Hansen ◽

Stefan Lautenbacher

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Working Memory ◽

Information Processing ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Diagnostic Procedures ◽

Study Data ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

The Past ◽

Extensive Test ◽

Screening Procedures

Abstract. Neuropsychological deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) are common. Over the past decades, many different procedures have been employed in diagnosing these deficits. Even though certain aspects of cognitive performance such as information processing speed and working memory may be affected more frequently than other cognitive functions, no specific deficit profile has been established in MS. This article provides an overview of the neuropsychological diagnostic procedures in MS and allows the reader to reach an informed decision on the applicability of specific procedures and the availability of study data in the context of MS. Additionally, it makes recommendations on the compilation of both screening procedures and extensive test batteries.

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