Number Of Perseverative Responses Research Articles

Examination of the Relationship Between the Theory of Mind, Neurocognitive Functions and Thought-Language Features in the Schizophrenia and Bipolar Affective Disorder I Groups.

In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship of ToM with face-emotion recognition, executive functions and thought disorders in the schizophrenia (SC) and bipolar affective disorder I (BAD I) groups. 40 SC, 40 BAD I and 40 healthy control groups were included, matched for age, gender, and educational status. Dokuz Eylül Theory of Mind Scale (DEToMS)) and Reading Mind in Eyes (RMET) test, Benton face recognition test (BFRT), Ekman emotion recognition battery, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop test, Thought and Language Index (TLI) were used. Positive and Negative Symptoms Rating Scale (PANNS) in the SZ group, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) in the BAD I group were used. The number of perseverative responses in WSCT was higher in the SC group than the BAD I group. Recognition of the fearful expression scores, DEToMS total and subscale scores except irony were higher and scores of TLI were lower in healthy controls more than patients group. Recognition of the fearful expression scores, DEToMS total and subscale scores except irony were higher and scores of TLI were lower in BAD I group more than SC group. There was no difference between SC and BAD I groups between BFRT, emotion recognition except fearful expression and RMET scores. The best predictors of DEToMS were executive functions and TLI total score in the SC group and was emotion recognition in the BAD I group. The best predictors of the RMET score were executive functions and emotion recognition for both groups. Our findings suggest that social cognition remains a biomarker in patients with SZ and BAD I.

Conceptual abilities of children with mild intellectual disability: Analysis of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance

Background The ability to generate and flexibly change concepts is of great importance for the development of academic and adaptive skills. This paper analyses the conceptual reasoning ability of children with mild intellectual disability (MID) by their achievements on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).Method The sample consisted of 95 children with MID aged between 10 years and 13 years 11 months. The following variables from the WCST were analysed: number of categories completed, initial conceptualisation, total number of errors, non-perseverative errors, perseverative errors, number of perseverative responses, and failures to maintain set.Results The observed WCST predictive variables account for 79% of the variability in the number of categories completed (p < .000). The total number of errors was the most significant predictor of performance on the WCST.Conclusion We can conclude that there is a significant progress of conceptual abilities between the age of 13 years to 13 years 11 months, compared to other assessed age groups. The results of our research suggests that the development of mental set flexibility is the basis of progress in conceptual abilities, thus intervention programs should offer specially designed activities that vary in their attentional demands, content, conceptual patterns, and actions required.

The effects of the D2 dopamine receptor antagonist, eticlopride, on attention following bilateral vestibular deafferentation in the rat

Loss of vestibular function has been associated with cognitive impairment, including attentional problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the D2 dopamine receptor antagonist, eticlopride (0.02, 0.04 and 0.06mg/kg; s.c.), on attention and impulsivity in rats at 2 months following bilateral vestibular deafferentation (BVD), using a 5 choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT). The levels of the D2 receptor protein in the frontal cortex were measured at 1 and 6 months post-BVD using western blotting. Eticlopride caused a dose-dependent decrease in response in the 5CSRTT, which was greater for sham than for BVD rats in terms of the percentage of correct responses and the number of perseverative responses. There were no changes in the amount of the D2 receptor in the frontal cortex at 1 or 6 months post-BVD; however, D2 receptor levels were significantly higher on the right side than the left in both sham and BVD animals. These results suggest that BVD causes an increase in perseverative behaviour that D2 receptor blockade does not eliminate, but that D2 receptors in the frontal cortex are unchanged.

Attention deficit induced by blockade of N-methyl d-aspartate receptors in the prefrontal cortex is associated with enhanced glutamate release and cAMP response element binding protein phosphorylation: role of metabotropic glutamate receptors 2/3

The hypothesis that attention deficits induced by the hypofunction of N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) might be associated with increased glutamate release and changes in the phosphorylation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein on serine 133 (p-S133CREB) was investigated in this study. Infusion of 50 ng/side 3-(R)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-propyl-1-phosphonic acid ((R)-CPP), a competitive glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist, into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats performing the five-choice serial reaction time (5-CSRT) task, reduced accuracy of visual discrimination (measured by % correct responses) and enhanced impulsivity (measured by the number of premature responses) and compulsivity (measured by the number of perseverative responses). The mGluR2/3 receptor agonist, LY379268, injected s.c. at 0.1 mg/kg, reduced (R)-CPP-induced impairment in attentional functioning (accuracy) and impulsivity but not compulsive perseveration. In parallel studies using microdialysis technique and Western blot analysis we found that (R)-CPP (100 μM) infused in the medial prefrontal cortex increased glutamate efflux whereas injected in the medial prefrontal cortex at a dose causing impairments in attentional performance (50 ng/side) increased p-S133CREB in the frontal cortex (FC), decreased it in the caudate-putamen (CPu) and was without effect in the nucleus accumbens (NAC). LY379268 at the dose effective in reducing (R)-CPP-induced behavioral deficit reduced both the (R)-CPP-induced rise in glutamate efflux in the prefrontal cortex and the increase in p-S133CREB in the frontal cortex but was without effect on the decrease in p-S133CREB in the caudate-putamen. The data provide evidence that enhanced glutamate release and phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) on serine 133 may be associated to attention deficit and loss of impulse control. Furthermore they suggest that mGluR2/3 agonists have a therapeutic potential for cognitive deficits.

Baseline plasma epinephrine levels predict Wisconsin Card Sorting Test scores in healthy volunteers

The present study was undertaken to further explore the potential neuropsychological information associated with baseline plasma levels of catecholamines and dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Baseline plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine levels and PBL DRD3 mRNA expression were compared with performance in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in n=79 healthy volunteers (mean+/-S.D. age: 24.1+/-3.2 years, 34 males). After correction for multiple testing, we found that baseline plasma epinephrine levels predicted WCST total number of errors (Spearman's rho=-0.36, p<0.05), number of perseverative responses (Spearman's rho=-0.36, p<0.05) and percent conceptual level responses (Spearman's rho=0.37, p<0.05). Plasma norepinephrine levels and PBL DRD3 mRNA expression did not predict WCST scores, but PBL DRD3 mRNA expression correlated negatively with plasma epinephrine levels (Spearman's rho=-0.45, p<0.001). Further studies should be undertaken to explore possible neurophysiological links between plasma epinephrine levels and the neurobiology underlying cognitive performance.

Association of COMT Val158Met Genotype With Executive Functioning Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is thought to functionally modulate dopamine neurons, thus likely influencing frontal-executive functioning. High enzyme activity (COMT Val) and low enzyme activity (COMT Met) are functional polymorphisms resulting from a G to A transition in exon 4 (codon 158) of the human COMT gene. Decreased cortical dopamine should result in poorer executive functioning. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the low enzyme activity polymorphism would perform better on tests of executive functioning than individuals with the high enzyme activity polymorphism. One hundred thirteen individuals referred to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center underwent a comprehensive TBI evaluation and were genotyped for the COMT polymorphism. Comparison of mean differences among the COMT genotype groups for several measures of aspects of executive functioning was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with adjustment for multiple comparisons. Homozygotes for the higher activity allele made more perseverative responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, while homozygotes for the lower activity allele had the least number of perseverative responses. While it cannot be determined whether TBI influenced the association of COMT Val158Met to executive functioning, these data extend the known relationship of genotype to executive performance seen in healthy comparison subjects and individuals with schizophrenia to individuals with TBI.

Association of COMT Val158Met Genotype With Executive Functioning Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is thought to functionally modulate dopamine neurons, thus likely influencing frontal-executive functioning. High enzyme activity (COMT Val) and low enzyme activity (COMT Met) are functional polymorphisms resulting from a G to A transition in exon 4 (codon 158) of the human COMT gene. Decreased cortical dopamine should result in poorer executive functioning. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the low enzyme activity polymorphism would perform better on tests of executive functioning than individuals with the high enzyme activity polymorphism. One hundred thirteen individuals referred to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center underwent a comprehensive TBI evaluation and were genotyped for the COMT polymorphism. Comparison of mean differences among the COMT genotype groups for several measures of aspects of executive functioning was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with adjustment for multiple comparisons. Homozygotes for the higher activity allele made more perseverative responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, while homozygotes for the lower activity allele had the least number of perseverative responses. While it cannot be determined whether TBI influenced the association of COMT Val158Met to executive functioning, these data extend the known relationship of genotype to executive performance seen in healthy comparison subjects and individuals with schizophrenia to individuals with TBI.

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test variables in relation to motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a standard test for the assessment of executive function and free of a motor component, was employed for the assessment of 37 nondemented patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease and 37 matched normal controls. The symptoms of the patients were clinically assessed by means of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, which yielded scores for the cardinal symptoms of the disease as well as a total motor score. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was administered in all subjects in its original form (128 cards), and it was scored to yield 16 measures according to the instruction of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test revised manual. Patients with Parkinson's Disease had significantly lower scores on the following test variables: number of trials administered, perseverative responses, percent perseverative responses, and failure to maintain set. The correlations between the last three variables and total motor score were statistically significant. Of the four cardinal symptoms of the disease, only rigidity correlated significantly with the number of perseverative responses and percent perseverative responses. These findings provide a clue that the lower performance of these patients on certain variables of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test may be related to the process of the disease.

Memory for facts, source, and context: Can frontal lobe dysfunction explain age-related differences?

Age-related differences in memory for facts, source, and contextual details were examined in healthy young (18-35 years old) and old (65-80 years old) volunteers. In all tested memory functions, decline over time was greater in the elderly than in the young. A time-dependent increase in the prevalence of source amnesia errors was clearly associated with old age. Contrary to several recent reports, measures of frontal lobe functions did not predict source memory. Nevertheless, some of these putative frontal function measures were related to memory for contextual details. The number of perseverative responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was inversely related to performance on both factual and contextual memory tests, but the association with contextual memory was stronger. Difficulties with response selection on a Stroop task predicted poor contextual memory in young but not in old adults.

The Generalized Pattern of Neuropsychological Deficits in Outpatients With Chronic Schizophrenia With Heterogeneous Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Results

Forty schizophrenic outpatients and 40 normal subjects were assessed using extensive clinical (eg, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms) and neuropsychological (extended Halstead-Reitan Battery) measures. The schizophrenic patients had multiple neuropsychological deficits on tests of complex conceptual reasoning, psychomotor speed, new learning and incidental memory, and both motor and sensory-perceptual abilities. Neuropsychological impairment correlated more strongly with negative than positive symptoms. Overall, the schizophrenic outpatients showed relatively modest increases in the number of perseverative responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test of abstraction flexibility. A subgroup of these schizophrenic patients seemed to be particularly impaired on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. This pattern of results, in conjunction with previous studies, supports the idea that, while some schizophrenic patients may have fixed, frontally based dysfunctions, these dysfunctions may be most prominent, and even fixed, in deteriorated, kraepelinian patients. These data provide evidence for diffuse and far-reaching deficits in a majority of outpatients with chronic schizophrenia.

Comparison of two short forms of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Two short forms of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were evaluated. The WCST-64 consists of one deck of 64 cards; derived measures are number of categories obtained and number of perseverative responses. The WCST-3 includes measures of the number of cards required to complete three categories and the number of perseverative responses. WCST protocols from 37 schizophrenics, 20 temporal lobe epileptics, 11 patients with probable SDAT, and 54 normal controls, were scored using the three methods. Pearson correlations between WCST and WCST-64 scores ranged from.70 to.91. while correlations between WCST and WCST-3 were somewhat lower (.36 to.82). The WCST-64 was superior to the WCST-3 in agreement with the full WCST. The WCST-3 tended to underestimate the number of perseverative responses on the full WCST. Although the use of a short form reduces reliability, the WCST-64 appears to be an acceptable alternative when administration of the full WCST is not possible.

Comparison of two short forms of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Two short forms of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were evaluated. The WCST-64 consists of one deck of 64 cards; derived measures are number of categories obtained and number of perseverative responses. The WCST-3 includes measures of the number of cards required to complete three categories and the number of perseverative responses. WCST protocols from 37 schizophrenics, 20 temporal lobe epileptics, 11 patients with probable SDAT, and 54 normal controls, were scored using the three methods. Pearson correlations between WCST and WCST-64 scores ranged from.70 to.91. while correlations between WCST and WCST-3 were somewhat lower (.36 to.82). The WCST-64 was superior to the WCST-3 in agreement with the full WCST. The WCST-3 tended to underestimate the number of perseverative responses on the full WCST. Although the use of a short form reduces reliability, the WCST-64 appears to be an acceptable alternative when administration of the full WCST is not possible.