Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate executive functioning (EF) and impulsiveness in three groups of people aged 30 to 79 years: post-frontal stroke (n = 13) and post-extra-frontal chronic stroke of the right hemisphere (n = 31) and control (n = 38). The years of education varied between the groups was as follows, frontal lesion group: M = 12 (SD = 6.11); extra-frontal lesion group: M = 9.06 (SD = 4.94); and control: M = 9.61 (SD = 4.24) years. The following instruments were used: Behavioural Assessment Dysexecutive Syndrome, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WSCT), Barratt Impulsivity Scale, Impulsivity Evaluation Scale, Delay Descounting Task and Go/No-Go Task. We found differences in EF between the extra-frontal lesion group and the control group with respect to cognitive flexibility (p = .018); number of WCST trials (p = .018); WCST perseverative errors (p = .014) and omission by impulsivity errors on the go/no-go task for 250 ms (p = .008) and 1750 ms trials (p = .006). The frontal lesion group made more errors of omission than the control group in the 1750 ms go/no-go trials (p = .006). These results suggest that extra-frontal lesions impair EF by influencing attentional impulsivity.
Highlights
Executive functioning (EF) consists of several subcomponents aimed at the execution of a behaviour directed at targets (Stuss and Levine 2002) and it encompasses processes and functions such as inference, problem solving, planning, organisation, strategy, decision making, behavioural inhibition, verification and control, which support adaptive, flexible behaviour and are central to the control of information processing in the brain (Bilder 2012)
The control group differed in age from the frontal lesion group (U = 124.500, z = −2.651, p = .008)
There were no differences in demographic variables between the control group and the extra-frontal lesion group (U = 484.500, z = −1 262, p = .207) or between the two clinical groups (U = 136.500, z = −1673, p = .094)
Summary
Executive functioning (EF) consists of several subcomponents aimed at the execution of a behaviour directed at targets (Stuss and Levine 2002) and it encompasses processes and functions such as inference, problem solving, planning, organisation, strategy, decision making, behavioural inhibition, verification and control, which support adaptive, flexible behaviour and are central to the control of information processing in the brain (Bilder 2012). Frontal lesions do not correspond exactly to an impairment in that region (Bartolomeu 2011; Krause et al 2012; Thiebaut de Schotten et al 2012). The. Injury to frontal circuits may cause EF impairments, as well as changes in temperament, a tendency to perserveration and lack of impulse control (Brenan and Raine 1997; Radanovic and Mansur 2004; Zappalá et al 2012). According to Barratt (1994), impulsivity is a multidimensional concept, encompassing failure of inhibitory control, rapid processing of information, search for novelty and inability
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