Virtual Environment Grocery Store

Author(s):  
Thomas D. Parsons ◽  
Timothy McMahan

Neuropsychologists are increasingly being asked to determine whether a patient can return to work, classroom, or play (e.g., sports). A difficulty for the neuropsychological assessment of cognitive functioning is that patients’ performance on a cognitive test may have little or no predictive value for how they may perform in a real-world situation (Burgess, Alderman, Evans, Emslie, & Wilson, 1998; Chaytor, Schmitter-Edgecombe, & Burr, 2006). To address this issue, neuropsychologists are increasingly emphasizing the need for tasks that represent real-world func­tioning and that tap into a number of executive domains (Chaytor & Schmitter-Edgecombe, 2003; Jurado & Rosselli, 2007). Burgess and colleagues (2006) argue that the majority of neuropsychological assessments currently in use today were developed to assess abstract cognitive “constructs” without regard for their ability to predict “functional” behavior. For example, although the construct-driven Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is one of the most widely used measures of executive function, it was not originally developed as a measure of executive functioning. Instead, the WCST was preceded by a number of sorting measures that were developed from observations of the effects of brain damage (e.g., Weigl, 1927). While Milner (1963) found that patients with dorsolateral prefrontal lesions had greater difficulty on the WCST than patients with orbitofrontal or nonfrontal lesions, other studies have shown that patients with frontal lobe pathology do not always differ from control subjects on the WCST (Stuss et al., 1983). Some may argue that while there have been some inconsistencies in the literature, data from the construct-driven WCST do appear to provide information relevant to the constructs of set shifting and working memory. However, it can also be argued that the data do not necessarily offer information that would allow a neuropsychologist to predict what situations in everyday life require the abilities that the WCST measures. A number of investigators have argued that performance on traditional tests has little correspondence to everyday activities of daily living. This can leave the neuropsychologist uncertain of the efficacy of the tests for predicting the way in which patients will manage in their everyday lives (Bottari, Dassa, Rainville, & Dutil, 2009; Manchester, Priestly, & Howard, 2004; Sbordone, 2008).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabnam Behrangrad ◽  
Farshad Mansouri ◽  
Maryam Zoghi ◽  
Shapour Jaberzadeh

Our ability to interact flexibly with the surrounding environment and achieve an adaptive goal-directed response is one of the necessities of balance control. This study aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive demand and the necessity for keeping balance in unstable conditions. We examined the effects of performing two cognitive tasks, namely the Stroop test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), on postural balance in healthy young adults. Stroop and the WCST test assess selective attention and cognitive flexibility in shifting between rules, respectively. Thirty-two healthy adults were included in two experimental conditions (control and treatment) in random order, separated by at least seven days. Standing balance was evaluated by the Sway Medical Mobile application in eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) in different stance positions: feet apart, feet together, semi-tandem, tandem, and single-leg stance (SLS). Balance was evaluated before and after the cognitive test in each experimental condition. Our findings indicate that performing cognitively demanding tasks adversely affected the balance ability in more demanding balance tests such as the SLS with EC (P ˂ 0.05). However, no significant changes were seen in other balance tests (P ˃ 0.05). Additionally, no significant changes were seen in balance ability after the Stroop or Wisconsin card sorting test alone. These results confirm that performing cognitively demanding tasks significantly reduced the ability to keep balance in less stable conditions. These findings have significant implications in understanding and preventing falls and incidents resulting from an impaired balance in complex and cognitively demanding conditions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia Mattioli ◽  
Fabio Bellomi ◽  
Chiara Stampatori ◽  
Ruggero Capra ◽  
Carlo Miniussi

Background: Cognitive training has been shown to improve cognitive function and quality of life in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and is correlated with increased activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Objective: This study aims to test whether combining attention training with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over the left DLPFC can improve training efficacy. Methods: Twenty patients impaired in attention/speed of information processing were randomly assigned to cognitive training during a-tDCS over the left DLPFC or cognitive training during sham tDCS for 10 daily sessions. Neuropsychological evaluations were conducted at baseline, after treatment and six months later. Results: When a-tDCS, rather than sham, was applied during the cognitive training, patients showed a significantly greater improvement in the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) after treatment ( p < 0.05) and in the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) 2” and WCST six months later ( p < 0.05). They also had significantly shorter time to reach the most difficult exercise level, compared to sham treatment (6.3 vs. 7.4 sessions; p < 0.05). Conclusions: These results indicate that a-tDCS on the DLPFC during cognitive training fosters improvements in attention and executive function in MS patients and shortens treatment duration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 405-418
Author(s):  
Maciej Bieliński ◽  
Natalia Lesiewska ◽  
Roman Junik ◽  
Anna Kamińska ◽  
Andrzej Tretyn ◽  
...  

Background:Obesity is a chronic condition associated with poorer cognitive functioning. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a useful tool for evaluating executive functions. In this study, we assessed the association between dopaminergic gene polymorphisms: DAT1 (SLC6A3), COMTVal158Met, DRD4 (48-bp variable number of tandem repeats - VNTR) and WCST parameters to investigate the functions of the frontal lobes in obese individuals.Objective:To find the significant correlations between polymorphisms of DAT1, COMTVal158Met, DRD4 and executive functions in obese subjects.Methods:The analysis of the frequency of individual alleles was performed in 248 obese patients (179 women, 69 men). Evaluation of the prefrontal cortex function (operating memory and executive functions) was measured with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Separate analyzes were performed in age subgroups to determine different activities and regulation of genes in younger and older participants.Results:Scores of WCST parameters were different in the subgroups of women and men and in the age subgroups. Regarding the COMT gene, patients with A/A and G/A polymorphisms showed significantly better WCST results in WCST_P, WCST_CC and WCST_1st. Regarding DAT1 men with L/L and L/S made less non-perseverative errors, which was statistically significant. In DRD4, significantly better WCST_1st results were found only in older women with S allele.Conclusion:Obtained results indicate the involvement of dopaminergic transmission in the regulation of prefrontal cortex function. Data analysis indicates that prefrontal cortex function may ensue, from different elements such as genetic factors, metabolic aspects of obesity, and hormonal activity (estrogen).


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gema Díaz-Blancat ◽  
Juan García-Prieto ◽  
Fernando Maestú ◽  
Francisco Barceló

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