Derived Trail Making Test indices: demographics and cognitive background variables across the adult life span

Abstract

We examined the contribution of demographics and cognitive background variables (processing speed, visuospatial skill, working memory, and interference control) on derived Trail Making Test (TMT) scores in a large sample of Greek healthy participants. We included 775 participants and administered the TMT (TMT-A and TMT-B) and the Wechsler Intelligence Adult Scale (WAIS). Direct (TMT-A & TMT-B time-to-completion) and derived [difference TMT-(B − A) & ratio TMT-(B/A)] scores were calculated. Demographics (age, age2, education, and gender) and WAIS Full Intelligence Quotient significantly predicted the direct TMT-A (R2 = 0.426) and TMT-B (R2 = 0.593) scores and to a lesser extent, the derived TMT-(B − A) (R2 = 0.343) and TMT-(B/A) (R2 = 0.088) scores. In a subsample of 537 healthy participants who also completed the Stroop Neuropsychological Screening Test (SNST), demographics (age and education), WAIS Digit Symbol, Block Design, Arithmetic, and SNST accounted for 44.8% and 59.7% of the variance on TMT-A and TMT-B, and 32.5% and 9.6% of the variance on TMT-(B − A) and TMT-(B/A), respectively. We found minimal influence of Block Design and Arithmetic on TMT-(B − A) and an absence of significant influence of any cognitive variable on TMT-(B/A) score. Concluding, derived TMT scores are suggested as indices to detect impairment in cognitive flexibility across the adult life span, since they minimize the effect of demographics and other cognitive background variables.