Thalamus and language: interface with attention, memory and executive functions

Subcortical structures are in a strategic functional position within the cognitive networks. Their lesion can interfere with a great number of functions. We studied six patients with thalamic vascular lesions (three left sided, two right sided and one bilateral), to characterize their repercussion in the communicative abilities and the interface between language alterations and other cognitive abilities, as attention, memory and frontal executive. All patients were evaluated through a functional interview (discourse analysis), and the following batteries: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Token Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting and frontal scripts. All patients performed MRI and five underwent SPECT. Results show that these patients present impairment in several cognitive domains, especially attention and executive functions (working memory, planning and self-monitoring); those with right lesions have an additional visuospatial impairment. Such alterations interfere with language abilities, and this fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts.

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Contribution to the evaluation of language disturbances in subcortical lesions: a piloty study

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/s0004-282x2004000100009 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 51-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Márcia Radanovic ◽

Letícia Lessa Mansur ◽

Mariana Jardim Azambuja ◽

Cláudia Sellitto Porto ◽

Milberto Scaff

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Cognitive Networks ◽

Vascular Lesions ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Subcortical Structures ◽

Boston Naming Test ◽

Language Abilities ◽

Trail Making

Subcortical structures are in a strategic functional position within the cognitive networks and their lesion can interfere with a great number of functions. In this study, we describe fourteen subjects with exclusively subcortical vascular lesions (eight in the basal ganglia and six in the thalamus) and the interrelation between their language alterations and other cognitive abilities, as attention, memory and frontal executive functions. All patients were evaluated through the following batteries: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Token Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and a frontal scripts task. All patients underwent MRI and twelve underwent SPECT. Results show that these patients present impairment in several cognitive domains, especially attention and executive functions. These alterations affect language abilities, and this fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts.

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Dopaminergic Genes Polymorphisms and Prefrontal Cortex Efficiency Among Obese People - Whether Gender is a Differentiating Factor?

Current Molecular Medicine ◽

10.2174/1566524019666190424143653 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 405-418

Author(s):

Maciej Bieliński ◽

Natalia Lesiewska ◽

Roman Junik ◽

Anna Kamińska ◽

Andrzej Tretyn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Tandem Repeats ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Variable Number ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Obese People ◽

Perseverative Errors ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽

Sorting Test

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).

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Large Neutral Amino Acids (LNAAs) Supplementation Improves Neuropsychological Performances in Adult Patients with Phenylketonuria

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12041092 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 1092 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Iris Scala ◽

Maria Pia Riccio ◽

Maria Marino ◽

Carmela Bravaccio ◽

Giancarlo Parenti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Metabolic Control ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Well Being ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Large Neutral Amino Acids ◽

Neutral Amino Acids ◽

Poor Metabolic Control

Phenylketonuria is an inborn error of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism diagnosed by newborn screening and treated early with diet. Although diet prevents intellectual disability, patients often show impairment of executive functions, working memory, sustained attention, and cognitive flexibility. Large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) have been proposed as a dietary supplement for PKU adults. Few studies show that LNAAs may help in improving metabolic control as well as cognitive functions. In this study, 10 adult PKU patients with poor metabolic control were treated for 12 months with LNAAs (MovisCom, 0.8–1 g/kg/day) and underwent Phe and Tyrosine (Tyr) monitoring monthly. Neuropsychological assessment was performed at T0, T+3, and T+12 months by using the American Psychological General Well-Being Index, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Test of Attentional Performance, and the 9-Hole Peg Test. No change in plasma Phe levels was observed during LNAAs supplementation, while Tyr levels significantly improved during LNAAs supplementation (p = 0.03). Psychometric tests showed an improvement of distress and well-being rates, of executive functions, attention, and vigilance, whereas no difference was noted regarding hand dexterity. This study adds evidence of the advantage of LNAAs supplementation in improving cognitive functions and well-being in patients with PKU with poor metabolic control.

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Functional and structural MRI correlates of executive functions in multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/13524585211033184 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135245852110331

Author(s):

Olga Marchesi ◽

Raffaello Bonacchi ◽

Paola Valsasina ◽

Paolo Preziosa ◽

Elisabetta Pagani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Working Memory ◽

A Priori ◽

Structural Mri ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Cognitive Networks ◽

Superior Cerebellar Peduncle ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Cerebellar Peduncle ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

Background: Executive dysfunctions, including difficulties in attention, working memory, planning, and inhibition affect 15%–28% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Objectives: To investigate structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities underlying executive function (EF) in MS patients. Methods: A total 116 MS patients and 65 controls underwent resting-state (RS) and diffusion-weighted sequences and neuropsychological examination, including Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to test EF. Brain RS cognitive networks and fractional anisotropy (FA) from a priori selected white matter tracts were derived. Associations of WCST scores with RS functional connectivity (FC) and FA abnormalities were investigated. Results: In MS patients, predictors of working memory/updating were: lower corpus callosum (CC) FA, lower left working-memory network (WMN), right WMN RS FC for worse performance; lower executive control network (ECN), higher default-mode network (DMN), and salience network (SN) RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.35). Predictors of attention were lower CC genu FA, lower left WMN, and DMN RS FC for worse performance; higher left WMN and ECN RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.24). Predictors of worse shifting/inhibition were lower CC genu and superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) FA, lower left WMN RS FC for worse performance; and higher ECN RS FC for better performance ( R2 = 0.24). Conclusions: CC and SCP microstructural damage and RS FC abnormalities in cognitive networks underlie EF frailty in MS.

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Clinical and neuropsychological assessment of executive function in a sample of children and adolescents with idiopathic epilepsy

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/0004-282x20140191 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 72 (12) ◽

pp. 954-959 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Andrea Bandeira de Lima ◽

Fernanda Moreira ◽

Marleide da Mota Gomes ◽

Heber Maia-Filho

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Executive Function ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Clinical Data ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Idiopathic Epilepsy ◽

Control Group ◽

Seizure Type ◽

Card Sorting

Objective To compare the executive functions of children and adolescents with idiopathic epilepsy with a control group and to correlate with clinical data, intelligence and academic performance. Method Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. Thirty-one cases and thirty-five controls were evaluated by the WCST (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test).The results were compared with clinical data (seizure type and frequency, disease duration and number of antiepileptic drugs used), IQ (WISC-III) and academic performance (APT). Results Patients with epilepsy had poorer executive function scores. There was no positive linear correlation between test scores and epilepsy variables. There was a positive association between academic performance and some executive function results. Conclusion Children with well controlled idiopathic epilepsy may show deficits in executive functions in spite of clinical variables. Those deficits may influence academic performance.

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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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Relation between executive functions and polymorphisms in COMT, MAO-A, HTTLPR, SLC1A1 and HT2A in a sample of children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

10.1101/452193 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Enrique Avila Campos ◽

María Cristina Pinto Dussan ◽

Ángela María Polanco Barreto ◽

Esneyder Manuel Guerrero ◽

Rafael Antonio Vásquez Rojas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Mao A ◽

Trail Making ◽

Sorting Test

AbstractBackgroundObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has a complex etiology related to multiple neuropsychological factors. OCD is associated with several candidate genes but results are discordant. The objective was to explore the association between five polymorphisms related to neurotransmitters, the risk of an OCD diagnosis and the performance in four executive functions tests done with Colombian patients diagnosed with this condition.Methods63 patients and 65 controls matched by gender and age were genetically analyzed. For the study of the relation between cognitive function and phenotypes, a subsample of 33 patients and 31 controls was used. The Stroop test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Tower of London and Trail Making Test (TMT) for executive function assessment were applied and the SNPs analyzed were: COMT (rs4680), MAO-A (rs6323), HTTLPR (rs25531), HT2A (rs6315) and SLC1A1 (rs301434).ResultsDifferences in the conceptualization of the WCST test (p = 0.023) and Stroop interference score (p = 0.041) between cases and controls were obtained. After analyzing the relationship between genotypes and sub-scores of the tests, associations between the presence of MAO-A, SLAC1A1, HTTLPR and HT2A alleles and tests sub-scores were found.DiscussionThis characterization of children with OCD is a new field of work in Colombia and one of the first works performed in Latin America. The sample size and the number of polymorphisms analyzed in this population should be increased.

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Can inhibition or shifting training enhance cognitive abilities in emerging adults?

Psihološka obzorja / Horizons of Psychology ◽

10.20419/2021.30.529 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 138-152

Author(s):

Anja Podlesek ◽

Marina Martinčević ◽

Andrea Vranić

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Far Transfer ◽

Before And After ◽

Core Executive ◽

Cognitive Activities ◽

Transfer Tasks ◽

Inhibition Training

Executive functions enable and support most of our daily cognitive functioning. Within the number of executive functions proposed, updating, inhibition and shifting are most often considered as the three core executive functions. Cognitive training paradigms provide a platform for a possible enhancement of these functions. Since updating training has been studied to a greater extent, we wanted to investigate the effectiveness of inhibition and shifting training in this study. Emerging adults (psychology students) were randomly assigned either to the inhibition training (based on the Simon task; n = 36) or to the shifting training (based on the task switching paradigm; n = 35). Both groups underwent twelve 20-minute sessions distributed over four weeks. Measurements before and after the training included criterion tasks (i.e. the training tasks), near-transfer tasks (i.e. tasks that address the trained functions but use different types of stimuli or rules to respond), and far-transfer tasks (i.e., tasks that address untrained cognitive functions). The control participants (n = 36) were tested with a combination of these tasks. Both training groups improved their criteria task performance over time, while convincing training-related gains were not found in either near- or far-transfer tasks. This study raises some conceptual questions for the training of executive functions with respect to a sample of emerging adults with above-average cognitive abilities, motivational elements of training, and the role of executive functions in more complex everyday cognitive activities.

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Transfer of Training between Working Memory Task and Attentional Task

Advances in Psychology, Mental Health, and Behavioral Studies - Improving the Quality of Life for Dementia Patients through Progressive Detection, Treatment, and Care ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-0925-7.ch007 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 147-165

Author(s):

Ting Guo ◽

Yanna Ren ◽

Xiaotong Zhu ◽

Hong Chen ◽

Satoshi Takahashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Cognitive Training ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Memory Task ◽

Cognitive Disorders ◽

Training Effects ◽

Attention Memory

The present studies indicate that training effects in a certain domain may result in the acquired skills being transferred to other domains that require similar abilities. Cognitive training involves structured exercises that are prescribed and undertaken with the purpose of enhancing cognitive abilities, such as attention, memory, and problem solving. In contrast to symptomatic pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacological approaches may further improve patients' situations. Our aim was to summarize the empirical evidence for the rehabilitation of individuals with cognitive disorders by using training tasks to enhance specific cognitive functions to combat against cognitive degradation and transfer the benefits to other widely used domains.

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Game Theory for Cognitive Radio Networks

Game Theory ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2594-3.ch018 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 487-502

Author(s):

Sungwook Kim

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Radio ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Radios ◽

Primary User ◽

Spectrum Management ◽

Cognitive Networks ◽

Wireless Devices ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Secondary Users ◽

Dynamic Spectrum Management

A cognitive radio is an intelligent radio that can be programmed and configured dynamically. Its transceiver is designed to use the best wireless channels in its vicinity. Such a radio automatically detects available channels in the wireless spectrum, then accordingly changes its transmission or reception parameters to allow more concurrent wireless communications in a given spectrum band at one location. This process is a form of dynamic spectrum management. In recent years, the development of intelligent, adaptive wireless devices called cognitive radios, together with the introduction of secondary spectrum licensing, has led to a new paradigm in communications: cognitive networks. Cognitive networks are wireless networks that consist of several types of users: often a primary user and secondary users. These cognitive users employ their cognitive abilities to communicate without harming the primary users. The study of cognitive networks is relatively new and many questions are yet to be answered. This chapter furthers the study.

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