What About Inhibition in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test?

The specificity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) for assessing frontal lobe pathology remains controversial, although lesion and cerebral blood flow studies continue to suggest a role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in WCST performance. Inconsistencies might derive from the extended use of various WCST scores as equivalent indicators of frontal pathology. In this study, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 32 normal subjects who committed perseverative and non-perseverative errors. Both types of WCST errors evoked anomalous but distinct ERP patterns over frontal lobe regions. Perseverative errors were also associated with a dysfunctional extrastriate response to stimulation. This evidence suggests that perseverative and non-perseverative errors result from disruptions in two different prefrontal neural networks engaged during card sorting.

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance before and after temporal lobectomy

Executive functioning and risk for Alzheimer's disease in the cognitively intact: Family history predicts Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance.

Research on the effects of repeated opioid use on striatal dopamine transporters has yielded inconsistent results, possibly confounded by a history of methamphetamine or methadone exposure in opioid-dependent individuals. Previous studies have shown that striatal dopamine transporter density is positively correlated with the cognitive performance of healthy volunteers. This study aimed to investigate changes in striatal dopamine transporter density and their functional significance in opioid-dependent individuals. Single-photon emission computed tomography with [(99m) Tc]TRODAT-1 as a ligand was used to measure striatal dopamine transporter levels in 20 opioid-dependent individuals and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Opioid-dependent individuals had no history of methamphetamine or methadone use. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was performed to assess neurocognitive function. We found that compared with healthy controls, opioid-dependent individuals showed a significant reduction in striatal dopamine transporter density. They also showed poorer performance on the WCST in terms of the trials administered, total errors, perseverative responses, perseverative errors, and non-perseverative errors. Striatal dopamine transporter levels negatively correlated with non-perseverative errors not only in opioid-dependent individuals but also in healthy controls. These findings suggest that in human, repeated opioid exposure reduces striatal dopamine transporter density, which can be associated with non-perseverative errors. Non-perseverative errors may be one of the more sensitive parameters in WCST to identify working memory deficits associated with striatal dopamine transporter reduction. Moreover, we suggest that whether opioid-associated neurotoxicity is reversible depends on the brain region.

Deficits in executive functions (EF) are frequently implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia. However, no consensus exists regarding the contribution of EF to the dysfunctions observed in these individuals, with high levels of heterogeneity characterising the neurocognitive deficits, and traditional methods of assessment providing limited utility to explore the variation. We examine a proposal referred to as the multidimensional hypothesis, rather than performance on cognitive tasks being primarily dependent on a single EF, that performance is multiply realised by a range of uneven EF profiles. We describe a computational approach, using the WCST, that allows manipulations to ability levels of processes relating to each EF component to be explicitly assessed. Our central objective is to determine whether models exhibiting unique profiles of EF abilities may simulate the performance of three target groups: individuals with schizophrenia, healthy first-degree relatives and controls. For each target group, we show that of the performance measures yielded by the WCST, perseverative errors (PE; commonly assumed to rely heavily on EF) are simulated by multiple models. For a range of secondary measures (cards sorted, categories completed and non-perseverative errors; assumed less specific to EF abilities), our manipulations show little resemblance to the target groups. We view these results to support the multidimensional hypothesis, in that (1) no single EF process accounts for the poorer performance of the schizophrenic group, and (2) performance of PE in the target groups is achieved in models of diverse EF profiles. The implications of these findings for the study of EF in neuropsychological disorders are discussed.

Executive Function and Decision-Making in Women with Fibromyalgia

The present study investigated the effectiveness of a newly developed 8-week meditation program, which included chanting and meditation, on executive functions (EFs) in school-age children. Twenty-five students assigned to an experimental group participated in the meditation program, engaging in daily and weekly activities for 8 weeks. Another 25 students served as a control group and participated in regular school activities. Pretest and posttest assessments included the n-back task for working memory, the go/no-go task for inhibition, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) for cognitive flexibility. A mixed repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to analyze interaction effects, within-group differences, and between-group differences. The experimental group demonstrated greater improvement compared to the control group across several measures: (1) reaction time in the 1-back task, (2) correct responses in the no-go condition of the go/no-go task, and (3) percentage of correct responses, errors, perseverative errors, non-perseverative errors, perseverative responses, and conceptual level responses in the WCST (p < 0.001). These findings underscore the potential benefits of an 8-week school-based meditation program incorporating chanting and meditation for enhancing EFs in school-age children.

BackgroundMany cancer survivors experience cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), often with significant negative consequences across various life domains. Emerging evidence suggests that allowing additional time to process information before acting may be a useful strategy for those with CRCI to mitigate some of its impacts. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST), a measure of general cognition, has shown that for some cancer survivors, longer task completion time facilitates similar task performance outcomes to control populations concerning perseveration errors; a key performance metric of the WCST. However, assessing if this strategy may be useful, as well as determining for whom it may be useful, with regard to strengths and weaknesses among select cognitive domains, is challenging due to factors such as the problem of task impurity. Accordingly, this study provides an initial computational and experimental assessment of whether additional time to process information before acting is a useful strategy for those with CRCI.MethodsWe simulated individual cognitive differences observed in humans by varying contributions of executive functioning components (updating, shifting, inhibition) to yield 48 distinct computational models of the WCST. Our main manipulation was then to provide these models with more or less time (at three levels of 20, 40 and 60 cycles) before models executed an action to sort a given card. We compared the number of perseveration errors on the WCST produced by the computational models. Additionally, we determined models that simulated the performance of cancer survivors on the WCST by comparing the number of perseveration errors produced by the models to human data.ResultsAdditional processing time resulted in the models producing significantly fewer perseveration errors, supporting our hypothesis. In addition, 8 unique models simulated the performance of cancer survivors on the WCST. Additional time appeared to have a positive influence on performance primarily by mitigating the impacts of severe inhibition impairments. For more severe global executive function impairments, a substantial amount of additional time was required to mitigate the impacts of the impairments. For the most severe impairments, additional time was unable to adequately mitigate the impact on performance.ConclusionAdditional processing time may be a useful strategy to rectify perseveration errors among cancer survivors with CRCI. Our findings have implications for the development of practical strategies, such as workload and deadline management in occupational settings, which may mitigate the negative effects of CRCI.

P.1.i.034 - Assessment of the myelination of brain structures in patients with schizophrenia using the MRI method

Latent Structure of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in a Clinical Sample

Background: Although studies have indicated that the frontal lobe plays an important role in performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and that basal ganglia play a specific role in frontal lobe function, the role of striatal dopamine (DA) activity in performance on the WCST remains unclear. Methods: We assessed the relation between the availability of striatal dopamine transporters (DATs) and performance on the WCST as a measure of executive function in healthy individuals. We approximated the availability of DATs in 53 healthy volunteers aged 19–61 years by use of single photon emission computed tomography with technetium-99m (99mTc)-TRODAT-1 as the ligand. The WCST was administered to all participants. Results: The availability of DAT was significantly negatively correlated with perseverative errors on the WCST, both before and after adjustment for body mass index ( rbefore = −0.39, p = 0.004; rafter = −0.39, p = 0.005). Limitations: This was an association study; thus, a causal relation between DAT availability and performance cannot be confirmed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that striatal DAT availability may play a role in executive function as measured by the WCST.

Objective To evaluate the antidepressant efficacy, cognitive effect and safety of theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) in treatment of first-episode depression. Methods 43 hospitalized patients with first-episode depression meeting with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) were randomly divided into theta-burst stimulation group(TBS group, n=21)and sham-stimulation group(sham group, n=22). All patients were treated at left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 4 weeks, and were concomitantly taking venlafaxine (150-300)mg/d. Hamilton Depression Scale-24 was used to assess the severity of depression before treatment, at week 2 and week 4 in both groups. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were used to estimate cognitive function of depression before and after treatment. Results There was no difference on HAMD score before treatment between two groups((38.2±7.1)vs.(37.5±6.8), t=0.314, P=0.754). The reduction of HAMD score in TBS group showed significantly faster than that in sham group at week 2 ((20.5±4.8)vs.(16.1±5.9), t=2.547, P=0.015) and week 4((30.3±5.2)vs.(26.0±6.3), t=2.318, P=0.026). After 2-week stimulation, the response rate was higher in TBS group than that in sham group (57.9%vs. 25%, χ2 =4.358, P=0.037). The response and remission rates were significantly higher in TBS group than those in sham group after 4-week stimulation period (94.7%vs.65%, χ2 =5.284, P=0.021; 78.9%vs.45%, χ2=4.744, P=0.029). The improvements on WCST and CPT after treatment in TBS group, such as categories completed, correct responses, error responses, perseverative responses errors, nonperseverative responses errors, CPT1, CPT2 and CPT3, were significant than those in sham group (P<0.05). Conclusions Theta-burst stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is safe and well-tolerated, while offering the potential to enhance early effects and modulate cognition in first-episode depressive patients. Key words: Theta-burst stimulation; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Depression

Cognitive flexibility—the ability to adapt cognitive strategies and behavioral responses in changing environments—is a key component of executive function, supporting rule updating and conflict resolution. Individuals with substance addiction often exhibit behavioral rigidity and reduced adaptability, reflecting impairments in this domain. This study examined cognitive flexibility in individuals with methamphetamine dependence through three behavioral tasks—intra-dimensional task switching, extra-dimensional task switching, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)—in combination with a subjective self-report measure. Results showed that, compared to healthy controls, methamphetamine-dependent individuals demonstrated elevated reaction time switch costs in Intra-dimensional Task Switching and increased accuracy switch costs in Extra-dimensional Task Switching, as well as more perseverative and non-perseverative errors in the WCST. These findings suggested not only reduced performances in explicitly cued rule updating and strategic shifting but also deficits in feedback-driven learning and inflexibility in cognitive set shifting on methamphetamine-dependent individuals. Moreover, their self-reported cognitive flexibility scores were aligned with their objective performance, significantly lower than healthy controls. In summary, these findings revealed consistent cognitive flexibility impairments at both behavioral and subjective levels in individuals with methamphetamine dependence, indicating a core executive dysfunction that may undermine adaptive functioning in real-life contexts. The study offers critical insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying addiction and provides a theoretical foundation for targeted cognitive interventions.

Cognitive deficits (CDs) in schizophrenia affect poor outcome and real-world community functioning. Because redox imbalance has been implicated, among other factors, in the pathophysiology of CDs, antioxidant compounds may have a beneficial effect in their treatment. Red yeast rice (RYR), besides its lipid-lowering effect, exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Thirty-five schizophrenia outpatients (age range, 18-60 years) on stable antipsychotic treatment and assessed by neuropsychological (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test [WCST], Verbal Fluency, and Stroop task) and psychodiagnostic instruments (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale) received RYR at daily dosage of 200 mg/d (total monacolin K/capsule content, 11.88 mg) for 12 weeks. Red yeast rice supplementation significantly improved WCST "perseverative errors" (P = 0.015), "total errors" (P = 0.017, P = 0.001), and phonemic fluency test (P = 0.008); a trend for improvement on other WCST variables ("nonperseverative errors," "perseverative responses," and "categories") was observed. Effect sizes, according to Cohen's suggestions, were small in all explored cognitive dimensions. There were no significant change in clinical symptoms and no subject-reported adverse effects. Despite several limitations (open design, lack of a control group, short period of observation, small sample size, mode of controlling patients' compliance, the lack of assessment of patients' functional improvement), results suggest that RYR supplementation may be a potentially promising strategy for addressing CDs in schizophrenia; further randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed to better evaluate the potential role of RYR for the treatment of CDs in schizophrenia.

Correlation of prepulse inhibition and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in schizophrenia and controls: Effects of smoking status