scholarly journals Relationships between neuropsychological and antisaccade measures in multiple sclerosis patients

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Borges Ferreira ◽  
Paulo Alexandre Pereira ◽  
Marta Parreira ◽  
Ines Sousa ◽  
José Figueiredo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Antisaccade Task ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

BackgroundThe Stroop test is frequently used to assess deficits in inhibitory control in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This test has limitations and antisaccade eye movements, that also measure inhibitory control, may be an alternative to Stroop.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was twofold: (i) to investigate if the performance in the antisaccade task is altered in patients with MS and (ii) to investigate the correlation between performances in neuropsychological tests, the Stroop test and the antisaccade task.MethodsWe measured antisaccades (AS) parameters with an infrared eye tracker (SMIRED 250 Hz) using a standard AS paradigm. A total of 38 subjects diagnosed with MS and 38 age and gender matched controls participated in this study. Neuropsychological measures were obtained from the MS group.ResultsPatients with MS have higher error rates and prolonged latency than controls in the antisaccade task. There was a consistent association between the Stroop performance and AS latency. Stroop performance but not AS latency was associated with other neuropsychological measures in which the MS group showed deficits.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that AS may be a selective and independent measure to investigate inhibitory control in patients with MS. More studies are necessary to confirm our results and to describe brain correlates associated with impaired performance in the antisaccade task in people diagnosed with MS.

scholarly journals Cortical morphology predicts placebo response in multiple sclerosis

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya V. Cherkasova ◽  
Jessie F. Fu ◽  
Michael Jarrett ◽  
Poljanka Johnson ◽  
Shawna Abel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Placebo Response ◽  
Small World ◽  
Lesion Load ◽  
Transient Improvement ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
The Right ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

AbstractDespite significant insights into the neural mechanisms of acute placebo responses, less is known about longer-term placebo responses, such as those seen in clinical trials, or their interactions with brain disease. We examined brain correlates of placebo responses in a randomized trial of a then controversial and now disproved endovascular treatment for multiple sclerosis. Patients received either balloon or sham extracranial venoplasty and were followed for 48 weeks. Venoplasty had no therapeutic effect, but a subset of both venoplasty- and sham-treated patients reported a transient improvement in health-related quality of life, suggesting a placebo response. Placebo responders did not differ from non-responders in total MRI T2 lesion load, count or location, nor were there differences in normalized brain volume, regional grey or white matter volume or cortical thickness (CT). However, responders had higher lesion activity. Graph theoretical analysis of CT covariance showed that non-responders had a more small-world-like CT architecture. In non-responders, lesion load was inversely associated with CT in somatosensory, motor and association areas, precuneus, and insula, primarily in the right hemisphere. In responders, lesion load was unrelated to CT. The neuropathological process in MS may produce in some a cortical configuration less capable of generating sustained placebo responses.

scholarly journals Antisaccade Deficits in Schizophrenia Can Be Driven by Attentional Relevance of the Stimuli

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Bansal ◽  
John M Gaspar ◽  
Benjamin M Robinson ◽  
Carly J Leonard ◽  
Britta Hahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Antisaccade Task ◽  
Relevant Stimulus ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Control Subjects

Abstract The antisaccade task is considered a test of cognitive control because it creates a conflict between the strong bottom-up signal produced by the cue and the top-down goal of shifting gaze to the opposite side of the display. Antisaccade deficits in schizophrenia are thought to reflect impaired top-down inhibition of the prepotent bottom-up response to the cue. However, the cue is also a highly task-relevant stimulus that must be covertly attended to determine where to shift gaze. We tested the hypothesis that difficulty in overcoming the attentional relevance of the cue, rather than its bottom-up salience, is key in producing impaired performance in people with schizophrenia (PSZ). We implemented 3 versions of the antisaccade task in which we varied the bottom-up salience of the cue while holding its attentional relevance constant. We found that difficulty in performing a given antisaccade task—relative to a prosaccade version using the same stimuli—was largely independent of the cue’s bottom-up salience. The magnitude of impairment in PSZ relative to control subjects was also independent of bottom-up salience. The greatest impairment was observed in a version where the cue lacked bottom-up salience advantage over other locations. These results indicate that the antisaccade deficit in PSZ does not reflect an impairment in overcoming bottom-up salience of the cue, but PSZ are instead impaired at overcoming its attentional relevance. This deficit may still indicate an underlying inhibitory control impairment but could also reflect a hyperfocusing of attentional resources on the cue.

scholarly journals Stroop performance in multiple sclerosis: Information processing, selective attention, or executive functioning?

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 805-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A.B. MACNIVEN ◽  
C. DAVIS ◽  
M.-Y. HO ◽  
C.M. BRADSHAW ◽  
E. SZABADI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Impaired Performance

Cognitive impairments in information processing speed, attention and executive functioning are widely reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Several studies have identified impaired performance on the Stroop test in people with MS, yet uncertainty remains over the cause of this phenomenon. In this study, 25 patients with MS were assessed with a neuropsychological test battery including a computerized Stroop test and a computerized test of information processing speed, the Graded Conditional Discrimination Tasks (GCDT). The patient group was compared with an individually age, sex and estimated premorbid IQ-matched healthy control group. The patients' reaction times (RTs) were significantly longer than those of the controls on all Stroop test trials and there was a significantly enhanced absolute (RTincongruent-RTneutral) and relative (100·[RTincongruent-RTneutral]/RTneutral) Stroop interference effect for the MS group. The linear function relating RT to stimulus complexity in the GCDT was significantly steeper in the patient group, indicating slowed information processing. The results are discussed with reference to the difference engine model, a theory of diversity in speeded cognition. It is concluded that, in the assessment of people with MS, great caution must be used in the interpretation of performance on neuropsychological tests which rely on RT as the primary measure. (JINS, 2008, 14, 805–814.)

Reliability, practice effects, and change indices for Rao’s brief repeatable battery

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 611-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Portaccio ◽  
Benedetta Goretti ◽  
Valentina Zipoli ◽  
Alfonso Iudice ◽  
Dario Della Pina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Repeatable Battery

The role of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis is now widely recognized. However, there is a dearth of research on variability and practice effects of neuropsychological measures when repeated over time. The objective was to assess reliability and practice effects for Rao’s Brief Repeatable Battery of neurophysiological tests and the Stroop Test, and to provide data for correction for variability and practice effects in serial assessments.In 54 healthy controls (34 women, mean age 38.3 ± 9.1 years, mean education 12.9 ± 3.3 years), the Brief Repeatable Battery and Stroop Test were administered 3 times with an 18-month interval. Reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient and practice effects by an analysis of variance with Bonferroni’s correction for repeated measures. Test—retest reliability was from adequate to good on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, the Stroop Test, and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. The great majority of tests showed at least a moderate practice effects. Data for calculation of an individual’s change in cognitive performance for each test of the Brief Repeatable Battery and the Stroop Test were provided. Our results provide relevant information for planning and interpreting longitudinal studies on cognition and cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis.

scholarly journals Computational dissociation of dopaminergic and cholinergic effects on action selection and inhibitory control

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo A. Aponte ◽  
Dario Schöbi ◽  
Klaas E. Stephan ◽  
Jakob Heinzle
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Action Selection ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Antisaccade Task ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Dose Dependent Fashion ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dose Dependent

AbstractBackgroundPatients with schizophrenia make more errors than healthy subjects on the antisaccade task. In this paradigm, participants are required to inhibit a reflexive saccade to a target and to select the correct action (a saccade in the opposite direction). While the precise origin of this deficit is not clear, it has been connected to aberrant dopaminergic and cholinergic neuromodulation.MethodsTo study the impact of dopamine and acetylcholine on inhibitory control and action selection, we administered two selective drugs (levodopa 200mg/galantamine 8mg) to healthy volunteers (N=100) performing the antisaccade task. A computational model (SERIA) was employed to separate the contribution of inhibitory control and action selection to empirical reaction times and error rates.ResultsModeling suggested that levodopa improved action selection (at the cost of increased reaction times) but did not have a significant effect on inhibitory control. By contrast, according to our model, galantamine affected inhibitory control in a dose dependent fashion, reducing inhibition failures at low doses and increasing them at higher levels. These effects were sufficiently specific that the computational analysis allowed for identifying the drug administered to an individual with 70% accuracy.ConclusionsOur results do not support the hypothesis that elevated tonic dopamine strongly impairs inhibitory control. Rather levodopa improved the ability to select correct actions. Instead, inhibitory control was modulated by cholinergic drugs. This approach may provide a starting point for future computational assays that differentiate neuromodulatory abnormalities in heterogeneous diseases like schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Attention impairment associated with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients with mild incapacity

2007 ◽  
Vol 65 (2A) ◽  
pp. 262-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Balsimelli ◽  
Maria Fernanda Mendes ◽  
Paulo H.F. Bertolucci ◽  
Charles Peter Tilbery
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Central Processing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Remitting Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽  
Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Attention Impairment

Neuropsychological studies have consistently reported cognitive dysfunctions associated with multiple sclerosis. One-hundred fifteen subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) were compared with forty health controls according to a neuropsychological test battery, which included digit span, trail making, cancellation and stroop test. Both groups were matched for age, sex and educational level. Subjects with RRMS had a worse performance the speed of response. Subjects with RRMS spent more time to complete the test in either sections A (p=0.001) or B (p=0.001), although there was no significant difference in terms of number of errors. The total time required to finish the Stroop test was higher for subjects with RRMS (p<0.001), being the time difference between groups significant at trial 4 (p<0.001). Attention impairment in subjects with RRMS is related to slowed central processing, which may be affected in all stages, including impairment of automatic and controlled processing of information and in the motor program.

scholarly journals Cortical morphology predicts placebo response in multiple sclerosis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya V. Cherkasova ◽  
Jessie F. Fu ◽  
Michael Jarrett ◽  
Poljanka Johnson ◽  
Shawna Abel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Functional Integration ◽  
Placebo Response ◽  
Small World ◽  
Lesion Load ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
The Right ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

ABSTRACTAlthough significant insights have been gained into the neural mechanisms of acute placebo responses, less is known about the mechanisms of longer-term placebo responses, such as those seen in clinical trials, or the interactions between these mechanisms and brain disease. We examined neuropathological and morphological brain correlates of placebo responses in a randomized clinical trial of a controversial endovascular treatment (“liberation therapy”) for multiple sclerosis. Patients were randomized to receive either balloon or sham extracranial venoplasty and followed for 48 weeks. The trial did not support therapeutic efficacy of venoplasty, but a subset of both venoplasty- and sham-treated patients reported an improvement in health-related quality of life that peaked at 12 weeks following treatment, suggesting a placebo response. Placebo responders had higher lesion activity than placebo non-responders. Although placebo responders did not differ from non-responders in terms of total normalized brain volume, regional grey or white matter volume or cortical thickness, graph theoretical analysis of cortical thickness covariance showed that placebo non-responders had a more homogenous cortical thickness topology with a more small-world-like architecture. In placebo non-responders, lesion load inversely predicted cortical thickness in primary somatosensory and motor areas, association areas, precuneus and insula, primarily in the right hemisphere. In placebo responders, lesion load was unrelated to cortical thickness. The neuropathological process in MS may result in a cortical configuration that is less suited to functional integration and less capable of generating a sustained placebo response.

The Effect of Automatic vs. Reflective Emotions on Cognitive Control in Antisaccade Tasks and the Emotional Stroop Test

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamil K. Imbir ◽  
Maria T. Jarymowicz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Stroop Effect ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Emotional Stroop ◽  
Antisaccade Task ◽  
Emotional Stroop Effect ◽  
Basic Determinant

Abstract The article presents two studies based on the assumption that the effectiveness of cognitive control depends on the subject’s type of emotional state. Inhibitory control is taken into account, as the basic determinant of the antisaccade reactions and the emotional Stroop effect. The studies deal with differentiation of emotions on the basis of their origin: automatic (due to primary affective reactions) vs. reflective (due to deliberative evaluation). According to the main assumption, automatic emotions are diffusive, and decrease the effectiveness of cognitive control. The hypothesis predicted that performance level of both the Antisaccade Task and the Emotional Stroop Test would be lower in the automaticemotion eliciting condition than in the reflective-emotion eliciting condition. In two experimental studies, positive and negative (automatic vs. reflective) emotions were elicited. The results support the predictions, regardless of the valence of emotions.

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