Performance of Schizophrenic Patients on Putative Neuropsychological tests of frontal Lobe Function

SYNOPSISNeuropsychological tests of frontal lobe functions were undertaken in 46 chronic schizophrenic patients who were also rated for movement disorders. Tardive dyskinesia was found to have significant associations with most of these psychological tests. The possible mechanisms are discussed within the context of known neostriatal psychological functions.

Download Full-text

Frontal release signs and cognition in people with schizophrenia, their siblings and healthy controls

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.106.026773 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 191 (2) ◽

pp. 120-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Thomas M. Hyde ◽

Terry E. Goldberg ◽

Michael F. Egan ◽

Marc C. Lener ◽

Daniel R. Weinberger

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Inverse Correlation ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Card Sort ◽

Schizophrenia Group ◽

Frontal Lobe Function ◽

Perseverative Errors ◽

Healthy Control

BackgroundFrontal release signs, a subset of neurological soft signs, are common in schizophrenia.AimsTo explore the relationship between frontal release signs and neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe function in people with schizophrenia, their siblings and healthy controls.MethodNeuropsychological tests and frontal release signs were measured in a cohort of index cases (n=302), their siblings (n=240) and healthy controls (n=346).ResultsThe mean total score of frontal release signs was 1.5 (s.d. = 1.58) in the schizophrenia group, 0.54 (s.d.=0.92) for siblings and 0.42 (s.d.=0.77) for controls. Schizophrenia group scores were greater than healthy control or sibling cohort scores (P < 0.0001), which did not differ. In all three cohorts, right grasp reflex scores positively correlated with number of perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sort Task (P<0.05). In the schizophrenia group, frontal release signs scores showed an inverse correlation with IQ (R = −0.199, P<0.0005).ConclusionsOur findings of relationships between frontal release signs and cognitive assays of cortical dysfunction and the increased frequency of these signs in people with schizophrenia implicate a cortical origin for these clinical signs and evidence of frontal lobe dysfunction in this disorder.

Download Full-text

Hypofrontality in Schizophrenia: A Review of the Evidence*

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/070674378703200516 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 399-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Peter Williamson

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Axial Tomography ◽

Cat Scan ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Frontal Lobe Function ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Computerized Axial Tomography ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Pet Scans

This paper reviews the possible role of frontal lobe dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Pathological, computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have indicated that a substantial number of schizophrenic patients show structural abnormalities in the frontal lobe areas and other parts of the brain. In some cases, these changes can be correlated with negative symptoms. Attempts to study frontal lobe function with neuropsychological tests, topographic EEG, cerebral blood flow (CBF) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans have also indicated that a substantial number of schizophrenics show abnormalities compared to normal controls. However, these abnormalities can be seen to some degree in other conditions. As well, patients early in the course of their illness tend not to show frontal lobe functional abnormalities. The implications of these findings for current theories of schizophrenia are discussed.

Download Full-text

Set-maintenance and set-shifting problems in schizophrenic subtypes: relationship to dysfunctions of the fronto-striatal loops

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1017/s0924270800035808 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 32-38

Author(s):

M.G. Lanser ◽

B.A. Ellenbroek ◽

A.R. Cools ◽

F.G. Zitman

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Frontal Lobe Lesions ◽

Core Symptom ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Information Set ◽

The Brain

SUMMARYResearch with patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and frontal lobe lesions has shown that disturbances in the fronto-striatal loops in the brain can cause perseveration. Perseveration is a core symptom of schizophrenia, yet the cause is not known. For schizophrenic patients disorders of many parts of the fronto-striatal loops are found, for example disturbances of the prefrontal cortex and the striatum. Perseveration in schizophrenia can be explained with set-maintenance problems, related to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex, or with set-shifting problems that are related to disorders in the striatum. These set-maintenance and set-shifting problems can be distinguished with neuropsychological tests. Regarding the bloodflow patterns for the different subtypes of schizophrenia three problems are expected as explanations for perseveration: set-maintenance problems concerning abstract information, set-maintenance problems shifting between stimuli and enhanced set-shifting with cues.

Download Full-text

Schizophrenic Syndromes and Frontal Lobe Performance

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.158.3.340 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 158 (3) ◽

pp. 340-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 317

Author(s):

Peter F. Liddle ◽

Danielle L. Morris

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Mental Activity ◽

Chronic Schizophrenic ◽

Inappropriate Response ◽

Frontal Lobe Impairment ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

The Subject

A battery of neuropsychological tests sensitive to frontal lobe impairment was administered to 43 chronic schizophrenic patients to delineate the abnormality of mental processing associated with the syndromes of psychomotor poverty and disorganisation, which had been identified in a previous study of the segregation of schizophrenic symptoms. Psychomotor poverty was found to be associated with slowness of mental activity, including slowness of generating words. The disorganisation syndrome was associated with impairment in tests in which the subject is required to inhibit an established but inappropriate response.

Download Full-text

Frontal and non-frontal lobe neuropsychological test performance and clinical symptomatology in schizophrenia

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700030294 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 353-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

S. L. Morrison-Stewart ◽

P. C. Williamson ◽

W. C. Corning ◽

S. P. Kutcher ◽

W. G. Snow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Test Performance ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Normal Subjects ◽

Matched Group ◽

Clinical Symptomatology ◽

Frontal Lobe Function

SYNOPSISSchizophrenic subjects performed significantly worse on neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe function but not on tests of non-frontal lobe function when compared to a matched group of normal subjects. Correlations expected between frontal lobe neuropsychological test performance and negative symptoms were not found.

Download Full-text

Differences in Frontal Lobe Dysfunction in Patients with Episodic and Chronic Migraine

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10132779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (13) ◽

pp. 2779

Author(s):

Sang-Hwa Lee ◽

Yeonkyeong Lee ◽

Minji Song ◽

Jae Jun Lee ◽

Jong-Hee Sohn

Keyword(s):

Chronic Migraine ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Iowa Gambling Task ◽

Medication Overuse Headache ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Episodic Migraine ◽

Frontal Lobe Dysfunction ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Frontal Lobe Function

Neuroimaging and neuropsychological investigations have indicated that migraineurs exhibit frontal lobe-related cognitive impairment. We investigated whether orbitofrontal and dorsolateral functioning differed between individuals with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM), focusing on orbitofrontal dysfunction because it is implicated in migraine chronification and medication overuse headache (MOH) in migraineurs. This cross-sectional study recruited women with CM with/without MOH (CM + MOH, CM − MOH), EM, and control participants who were matched in terms of age and education. We conducted neuropsychological assessments of frontal lobe function via the Trail Making Test (TMT) A and B, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). We enrolled 36 CM (19 CM + MOH, 17 CM–MOH), 30 EM, and 30 control participants. The CM patients performed significantly (p < 0.01) worse on the TMT A and B than the EM patients and the control participants. The WCST also revealed significant differences, with poorer performance in the CM patients versus the EM patients and the control participants. However, the net scores on the IGT did not significantly differ among the three groups. Our findings suggest that the CM patients exhibited frontal lobe dysfunction, and, particularly, dorsolateral dysfunction. However, we found no differences in frontal lobe function according to the presence or absence of MOH.

Download Full-text