Visual-spatial Functions Research Articles

Visual-spatial and visuomotor functioning in adults with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder associated with visual-spatial and visuomotor deficits, which have not been studied well in adults with NF1. In 22 adults with NF1 and 31 controls, visuomotor functioning was assessed by measuring eye latency, hand latency and hand accuracy during visuomotor tasks. Visual-spatial functioning was assessed by measuring eye movement responses during the Visual Threshold Task. The NF1 group had a significantly shorter eye latency than the control group and was less accurate in their hand movements during specific visuomotor tasks. The groups showed no differences in eye movement responses during the Visual Threshold Task and in hand latency during the visuomotor tasks. In contrast to studies in children with NF1, we found no alterations in visual-spatial information processing in adults. Impairments in eye latency and hand accuracy during specific visuomotor tasks may indicate deficits in visuomotor functioning in adults with NF1.

Особенности когнитивных функций у пациентов с эссенциальным тремором

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder, the main manifestation of which is progressive postural-kinetic tremor of the extremities, the pattern most often involving the hands. According to the latest classification, 2 different groups of patients with essential tremor are distinguished: patients with tremor (ET) and patients in whose clinic there are additional symptoms in addition to tremor (ET-plus syndrome, ET-P). The purpose was to identify and compare cognitive impairment in patients with essential tremor and essential tremor plus syndrome. Material and methods. A prospective study of 41 patients with essential tremor was performed at the Center for Movement Disorders and Botulinum Therapy of the Republic of Tatarstan using clinical, anamnestic and statistical methods for collecting and analyzing data. Results. Patients of both groups were comparable in terms of the disease duration, the frequency of family cases occurrence, and gender. While changes in cognitive functions are heterogeneous in different groups, ET-P patients show changes in visual-spatial functions, speech and short-term memory, which forms an amnestic type of intellectual impairment. The heterogeneity of the clinic of ET-P patients may indicate the involvement of various brain structures, in addition to the cerebellum, in the pathophysiological process.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PRESCRIPTION OPIOID AVAILABILITY AND LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Opioids are frequently prescribed to alleviate pain symptoms in older adults, yet the relationships between prescription opioid availability and long-term cognitive function are incompletely defined. We evaluated the associations between prescription opioid availability and neuropsychological function and incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by performing a secondary analysis of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA), a longitudinal population-based observational cohort study with participants enrolled between 11/1/2004 and 4/1/2019 aged 65 years or older at the time of enrollment and without dementia. A total of 4,218 participants (51% male) were included with median age of 76 (interquartile range 72, 82) years. In multivariable analyses, each receipt of an opioid prescription, regardless of duration, resulted in an additional -0.007 (95% CI: -0.009, -0.005) change in global cognitive z-score (p< 0.001), with significant effects seen in the domains of memory (-0.005, 95% CI: -0.007, -0.003; p< 0.001), language (-0.002, 95% CI -0.003, 0.000; p=0.024) and attention (-0.004, 95% CI: -0.006, -0.002; p< 0.001) but not visual-spatial function (0.000, 95% CI: -0.001, 0.001; p=0.897). Among 2,963 cognitively unimpaired subjects with longitudinal follow-up, 769 (26%) developed incident MCI. Receipt of any opioid prescription during follow-up was associated with incident MCI in adjusted analysis (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.42; p=0.014). In conclusion, prescription opioid availability was associated with cognitive decline across multiple domains and with incident MCI. These findings suggest that prescription opioid availability may have long-term effects on cognitive function.

Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of speech disorders in preschool and primary school children

The research aims to analyse the effectiveness of diagnosing speech disorders in preschool children using computer methods. At the first stage, the sample consisted of 395 children without speech impairments and 120 children with speech impairments. They were tested for understanding complex logical and grammatical structures. At the second stage, the visual-spatial functions of children were assessed using the Rey-Osterrieth complex Figure test. The sample included 120 children with speech impairments, 44 children with special educational needs, and 41 children with a normal level of understanding of logical and grammatical structures. Cognitive functions and their level in each child were examined using the results of 18 tests. For 44 children with phonetic and speech disorders, an innovative method of computer animation was used to correct speech disorders. The results analysis using a computer programme showed improvements in phonemic hearing, sound analysis, and pronunciation.

Impact of dysglycemia and obesity on the brain in adolescents with and without type 2 diabetes: A pilot study.

Both diabetes and obesity can affect the brain, yet their impact is not well characterized in children with type 2 (T2) diabetes and obesity. This pilot study aims to explore differences in brain function and cognition in adolescents with T2 diabetes and obesity and nondiabetic controls with obesity and lean controls. Participants were 12-17 years old (5 T2 diabetes with obesity [mean HgbA1C 10.9%], 6 nondiabetic controls with obesity and 10 lean controls). Functional MRI (FMRI) during hyperglycemic/euglycemic clamps was performed in the T2 diabetes group. When children with obesity, with and without diabetes, were grouped (mean BMI 98.8%), cognitive scores were lower than lean controls (BMI 58.4%) on verbal, full scale, and performance IQ, visual-spatial and executive function tests. Lower scores correlated with adiposity and insulin resistance but not HgbA1C. No significant brain activation differences during task based and resting state FMRI were noted between children with obesity (with or without diabetes) and lean controls, but a notable effect size for the visual-spatial working memory task and resting state was observed. In conclusion, our pilot study suggests that obesity, insulin resistance, and dysglycemia may contribute to relatively poorer cognitive function in adolescents with T2 diabetes and obesity. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to assess if cognitive decline in children with obesity, with and without T2 diabetes, can be prevented or reversed.

Neuropsychological evaluation of cognitive disorders in children after COVID-19.

The article presents the results of neuropsychological remote and face-to-face testing of 25 children aged 12 to 17 years in the nearest (during and 1-2 weeks after the treatment) and later period (2-12 months) after COVID-19 infection with predominant respiratory tract infection, organized in Ekaterinburg in the State Autonomous Institution "Children's Hospital № 8". Indication of family contact with patients with a new coronavirus infection was found in all patients, a positive nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by PCR was found in 58%, non-focal neurological complaints were found in 54% of children. The control group consisted of 25 pupils of Moscow comprehensive schools (14 girls and 11 boys) aged between 12 and 16 years who were examined before the pandemic. The methods included: investigation of the kinesthetic, spatial, dynamic, graphic praxis; auditory-motor coordination; visual, object-constructive gnosis; auditory-speech, visual memory; voluntary attention; thinking. Significant differences with the results of neuropsychological tests performed in children in the control group were found, allowing us to assert impairment of memory, attention, visual gnosis, visual-spatial function, kinesthetic and dynamic praxis, verbal and non-verbal component of thinking. According to A.R. Luria's theory, the topic of the disorders involves the temporo-parieto-occipital, mediobasal, frontotemporal parts of the brain, the reticular formation and limbic structures. This necessitates the development of corrective educational programs and an in-depth diagnostic algorithm that determines the morphological substrate of cognitive disorders in children, who have undergone COVID-19.

Investıgatıon of The Effect of Serum Homocysteıne Level on Cognıtıve Functıons in Multıple Sclerosıs Patıents

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether serum homocysteine level was higher in patients with MS, and evaluate the effect of this situation on cognitive functions. In addition, we aimed to determine whether high blood homocysteine level is associated with socio-demographic and clinical features and determine the affected cognitive functions with neuropsychological tests.Methods: We looked at changes in the levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid associated with high levels of serum homocysteine levels. Cognitive performance, and laboratory values of 60 cases with Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patient, and 30 healthy volunteers were compared. The frontal lobe activities, information processing speed, flexibility, and the ability of the calculation, as well as cognitive functions of attention and visuospatial perception and construction of complex skills were also evaluated. For these purposes, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Line Orientation Test (LOT) and Stroop Test were used.Results: Test performance for all of the test steps were found to be defective in MS group more than the control group subjects. In addition, all steps of the test performance were found to be impaired in both patients and healthy subjects with high levels of homocysteine(p<0.001).Conclusion: In this study visual memory processes, visual-spatial functions, construction skills, planning, programming and executive functions were found to be significantly deteriorated and the reaction time prolonged in RRMS patients with high levels of homocysteine compared with healthy control group

The study of the impact of rehabilitation measures on the dynamics of cognitive disorders in Parkinson’s disease

Aim. To assess the level of cognitive impairment and its dynamics over 6 months in Parkinson’s disease.
 Materials and methods. The study involved 31 people with Parkinson’s disease, including 15 women and 16 men. The average age of patients at the beginning of the study was 65.1 (m = 0.54). The duration of the disease varied from 3 to 8 years. The Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Mattis dementia scale were used to study cognitive functions. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) was used to assess attention. The study of speech was conducted using the free and directed association test, and visual-spatial functions were studied using the “drawing clock” test. The visual memory test from the SKT test battery was used to assess memory, and affective disorders were studied using the Beck Depression Scale. Depression was diagnosed according to the ICD-10 criteria. The vegetative disorders were assessed using the autonomic disorders scale. The results obtained were processed using mathematical statistics methods.
 Results. The data obtained in the course of the study allow us to state the stability in disturbance of the vegetative function. The affective symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment were improved. In patients with moderate and severe cognitive impairment, affective symptoms remained stable. There were also no significant changes in the Mattis dementia scale, the Beck Depression Scale, the coding test, visual-spatial functions, grammatical associations, semantics and phonetics.
 Conclusions. The studies showed that after the introduction of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for 6 months there were minor improvements indicating the need for further improvement and implementation.

Implementing New Technologies to Improve Visual-Spatial Functions in Patients with Impaired Consciousness.

The quality of life of patients with severe brain damage is compromised by, e.g., impaired cognitive functions and ocular dysfunction. The paper contains research findings regarding participants of an oculomotor training course aimed at the therapy of visual–spatial functions. Five male patients with brain damage who did not communicate, verbally or motorically, participated in the study. Over a six-week period, the subjects solved tasks associated with recognising objects, size perception, colour perception, perception of object structures (letters), perception of object structures (objects), detecting differences between images and assembling image components into the complete image with the use of an eye tracker. The findings present evidence of oculomotor training effectiveness based on a longer duration of the work with the eye tracker and improved visual–spatial functions.

Effectiveness of working memory on visual-spatial working memory performance of pre-school children with learning problem at risk

Introduction: Specific learning difficulties are the existence of disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes which play a role in the process of understanding and using spoken or written language. Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of working memory intervention on visual-spatial working memory performance among the preschool children at risk of learning disabilities. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study including pretest and posttest design with a control group. The statistical population comprised all children who were studying in preschool centers and kindergartens (2016-2017) in Tehran (District 14). A sample of 20 preschool students who were selected through purposive sampling participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (10 participants in each group). The experimental group participated in working memory program to 60-minute 12 sessions during the three months. In order to measure the performance of working memory, the working memory subset of IQ scale, Tehran-Stanford-Binet test and N-Back test were used. The data were analyzed by SPSS-22 and t-Test. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the subjects age are 6.2 and 0.45, respectively. The results showed that the working memory intervention caused the improvement on visual-spatial working memory performance of children (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the findings of the present study, it seems that visual-spatial working memory intervention can improve the working memory of preschool children and it can be used to enhance the visual-spatial working memory function of children and prevent the learning problems.

Does tramadol dependence impair cognitive functions?

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of tramadol use on cognitive functions, especially executive functions. Thirty tramadol use disorder patients were recruited from those admitted to the toxicology departments of Menoufia University Hospitals for detoxification. Thirty controls were recruited from employees working at the faculty of medicine, Menoufia University. Both patients and controls underwent a demographic sheet and computerized cognitive battery. Patients also completed another sheet about substance use history. Urine screening for drugs was performed on all patients prior to admission. No differences regarding age, education or marital status were found between patients and controls. Tramadol-dependent patients showed cognitive impairment in the form of impaired visual-spatial memory and executive functions in comparison to controls. After detoxification, patients showed improvement regarding executive functions but not visual-spatial memory. Tramadol impairs cognitive functions in tramadol-dependent patients.

The role of cognitive impairment in the development of balance disorders in cerebrovascular diseases

Cerebrovascular diseases and, in particular, ischemic stroke, are an important medical and social problem, remaining not only one of the leading causes of mortality, but also often leading to severe and irreversible disability. Cerebrovascular diseases, in addition to obvious focal neurological symptoms, are manifested by cognitive disorders of varying modality and severity, among which visual-spatial disorders remain almost the least studied. Many areas of the brain are responsible for providing visual-spatial functions, some of which also take part in maintaining balance. In addition, in recent years, data have appeared on the role of damage to the vestibular system in the development of visual-spatial disorders. That is, an important condition for ensuring visual-spatial functions is probably the preservation of vestibular afferent pathways. The mechanisms of the development of visual-spatial disorders with damage to vestibular structures and their relationship with the function of maintaining balance remain almost unexplored. Disorders of visual-spatial functions in patients with cerebrovascular diseases, apparently, can make a significant contribution to the development of balance disorders and make it difficult to carry out full-fledged therapeutic and rehabilitation measures in this category of patients. Currently, the diagnosis of visual-spatial disorders is insufficiently developed. There are no universal approaches to the correction of this type of vascular (including post-stroke) cognitive disorders, as well as balance disorders that have arisen as a result of visual-spatial dysfunction. Thus, further research in this area is needed to clarify the mechanisms of formation of visual-spatial disorders, their relationship with the function of maintaining balance in cerebrovascular diseases and to develop optimal ways to correct them.

Site Selection of Precast Concrete Component Factory Based on PCA and GIS

In China, with the expansion of the prefabricated construction market, the demand for precast concrete (PC) components is increasing and the construction of production plants to meet this need is expanding. To address the problem of siting PC component plants in China's construction industry, a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and geographic information system (GIS) is proposed for their siting. Taking the site selection process of a PC component plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China as an example, the diamond model is combined with six dimensions of environmental factors, requirements, regional competition, related and supporting industries, technological innovation and policies and regulations to construct an indicator system for PC component plant site selection. In the preliminary selection stage, PCA was applied to analyze the site selection indexes to obtain the overall score and ranking of each district for the selection of PC component plants in Wuhan, and it was concluded that three districts, namely, Xinzhou, Hannan, and Huangpi, were more suitable for the construction of component plants. In the precise selection stage, based on the availability of data, Hannan was selected among the three areas suitable for site selection for GIS analysis, using the visual‐spatial analysis function of GIS to quantify the four geographical information indicators of environmental factors, and the results showed that Area C in Hannan was the most suitable area. The results show that the method has high accuracy and good applicability.

Developmental changes in neural lateralization for visual-spatial function: Evidence from a line-bisection task.

Studies of hemispheric specialization have traditionally cast the left hemisphere as specialized for language and the right hemisphere for spatial function. Much of the supporting evidence for this separation of function comes from studies of healthy adults and those who have sustained lesions to the right or left hemisphere. However, we know little about the developmental origins of lateralization. Recent evidence suggests that the young brain represents language bilaterally, with 4-6-year-olds activating the left-hemisphere regions known to support language in adults as well as homotopic regions in the right hemisphere. This bilateral pattern changes over development, converging on left-hemispheric activation in late childhood. In the present study, we ask whether this same developmental trajectory is observed in a spatial task that is strongly right-lateralized in adults-the line bisection (or "Landmark") task. We examined fMRI activation among children ages 5-11 years as they were asked to judge which end of a bisected vertical line was longer. We found that young children showed bilateral activation, with activation in the same areas of the right hemisphere as has been shown among adults, as well as in the left hemisphere homotopic regions. By age 10, activation was right-lateralized. This strongly resembles the developmental trajectory for language, moving from bilateral to lateralized activation. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms and suggest that understanding the development of lateralization for a range of cognitive functions can play a crucial role in understanding general principles of how and why the brain comes to lateralize certain functions.

Williams syndrome deficits in visual spatial processing linked to GTF2IRD1 and GTF2I on Chromosome 7q11.23

Purpose: To identify the relationship between specific genes and phenotypic features of Williams syndrome.Methods: Subjects were selected based on their deletion status determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization using a panel of 24 BACs and cosmids spanning the region commonly deleted and single gene analysis using Southern blotting. From the cohort of subjects, three had atypical deletions. Physical examinations and cognitive tests were administered to the three subjects and the results were compared to those from a cohort of typical WS subjects.Results: The molecular results indicate smaller deletions for each subject. In all three cases, typical Williams facies were absent and visual spatial abilities were above that of full deletion WS subjects, particularly in the qualitative aspects of visual spatial processing.Conclusions: Combining the molecular analysis with the cognitive results suggest that the genes GTF2IRD1 and GTF2I contribute to deficits on visual spatial functioning.

Effects of Combined Cognitive and Exercise Interventions on Poststroke Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective We investigated combined cognitive and exercise interventions in the literature and summarized their effectiveness in improving poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). Data Sources. Electronic databases and trial registries were searched from their inception until July 2020. Study Selection. Trials were collected with the following study inclusion criteria: (1) patients over 18 years of age who were diagnosed with PSCI; (2) combined cognitive-exercise interventions, regardless of the order of the two types of interventions or whether they were administered simultaneously; (3) any control group studied at the same time that was deemed acceptable, including no intervention/routine care, delayed intervention, sham intervention, and passive training; (4) the use of any validated cognitive neuropsychological test to evaluate cognitive function; and (5) clinically administered random trials with controls. Data Extraction. Five randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of the full texts and methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Inconsistent results were resolved by additional discussion or decided by a third examiner, if necessary. Data Analysis. Meta-analysis demonstrated that the combined interventions had a significant effect on executive function and working memory [Stroop test (time), standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80–0.04, p = 0.02; Trail Making Test, SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.82–0.16, p = 0.004; Forward Digit Span Test, SMD = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.54–1.29, p ≤ 0.001]. While it was impossible to conduct a meta-analysis of global cognitive function and other cognitive domains, individual experiments demonstrated that the combined interventions played a significant role in global cognition, reasoning ability, logical thinking, and visual-spatial memory function. Conclusions Our analyses demonstrated that the combined interventions had a significant effect on the improvement of PSCI, particularly in terms of executive function. However, the moderate risk of bias in the included trials and the small number of relevant studies indicated a need for more uniform diagnostic and evaluation criteria, and larger trials would provide stronger evidence to better understand the effectiveness of the combined interventions. This trial is registered with trial registration number INPLASY202160090.

Comparing Face-to-Face and Online Data Collection Methods in Preterm and Full-Term Children: An Exploratory Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the landscape for children’s daily lives and the landscape for developmental psychology research. Pandemic-related restrictions have also significantly disrupted the traditional face-to-face methods with which developmental scientists produce research. Over the past year, developmental scientists have published on the best practices for online data collection methods; however, existing studies do not provide empirical evidence comparing online methods to face-to-face methods. In this study, we tested feasibility of online methods by examining performance on a battery of standardized and experimental cognitive assessments in a combined sample of 4- to 5-year-old preterm and full-term children, some of whom completed the battery face-to-face, and some of whom completed the battery online. First, we asked how children’s performance differs between face-to-face and online format on tasks related to verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, visual spatial, working memory, attention and executive functioning, social perception, and numerical skills. Out of eight tasks, we did not find reliable differences on five of them. Second, we explored the role of parent involvement in children’s performance in the online format. We did not find a significant effect of parent involvement on children’s performance. Exploratory analyses showed that the role of format did not vary for children at risk, specifically children born preterm. Our findings contribute to the growing body of literature examining differences and similarities across various data collection methods, as well as literature surrounding online data collection for continuing developmental psychology research.

The probability of neurocognitive disorders in patients at the postcovid stage

Background and aims: Aктyaльнocть пocткoвидныx paccтpoйcтв y бoльныx oбycлoвлeнa oтcyтcтвиeм дaнныx o мexaнизмax вoзникнoвeния нeйpoкoгнитивныx paccтpoйcтв. Methods: Material and methods of research. We examined 22 people who had suffered from COVID-19, which made up two groups. The first main group – 10 patients with clinical signs of mild cognitive impairment (LCN), the second comparative group-12 patients without clinical signs of LCN. To detect LCN, neuropsychological tests MMSE were used, tests were performed: “establishing patterns”, visual-spatial function, semantic mediation and generalization. In the comparative analysis, the nonparametric criterion χ2 was used, based on the null hypothesis that there are no differences between the compared groups. Results: The results obtained. If in group 2 there was a positive dynamics of cognitive functions of patients in the form of a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in the number of correctly completed tasks on the MMSE test on average 27.9 ± 1.3, D = 10.3%;p < 0.05, “+” 2.6 points, then in group 1 there was no positive dynamics (p < 0.05). In group 2, there is an increase in words called in one repetition, averaging 1.3 words (20.3%), while in group 1 patients there is a negative trend (p < 0.05). In the“ digit repetition test”, the increase in the total score of reproduced digits both in the forward order (+2.2 points, 5.0% in contrast to the patients of group 1) and in the reverse order (+3.2 points, 8.5% in contrast to group 1)was significant (p < 0.05). The “Complex figure” revealed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the time spent on the task in patients of group 2 (−6.3 s, 10.5 % compared to group 1;p < 0.05). Conclusions: Thus, Covid-19 causes LCN in patients in at least 50% of cases.

Visual and previsual MRI-criteria for early diagnosis of cerebral small vessels disease in middle-aged patients: clinical and neuroimaging correlations

Background. The urgency of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) in modern neurology is considered mainly in terms of the development of vascular dementia and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Minimal changes in MRI images and indistinct cognitive disorders in SNAMA-type cSVD (sporadic non-amyloid microangiopathy) last for a long time until they manifest as acute cerebrovascular disorders and/or significant mental deficits. However, clinical and neuroimaging criteria for early diagnosis of the disease have not been established yet, and the nature of the correlations between the indicators of neuropsychological and multiparametric MRI studies has not been clarified. Purpose – to develop criteria for early diagnosis of SNAMA cerebrovascular disease in middle-aged patients using neuropsychological studies and high-field multiparametric MRI. Materials and methods. The study enrolled 34 middle-aged patients (52.5 ± 10.8) with hypertension of stage 1–2, stage I–II and cSVD (women – 11 (32.4%), men – 23 (67.6%)). The control group (19 healthy individuals) was identical in age, gender and total duration of education. MRI (3T) was performed in the following modes: T1-2WI, DWI, 3D Brain FLAIR SHC, 3D tra, VEN BOLD, DTI medium iso SENSE. Neuropsychological studies were performed using the MoSA questionnaire evaluating the EIS, VIS, AIS, LIS, MIS, OIS domains. Results and discussion. We developed and introduced a modified scoring system for determining the severity of the burden of cerebral small vessels disease (BcSVDearly) in clinical practice. Among the early visual MRI markers, the expansion of the perivascular spaces was dominated in 27 (79.4%) of participants. A minor increase in Σ BcSVDearly to 6–7 points was found in 10 (29.4%) patients. The age norm (0–4 points) corresponded to the indicators of Σ BcSVDearly 23 out of 34 (67.6%) in the main group. Additional evidence of the disease was obtained by DTI MRI. The most significant decrease in FA was recorded in belt fibers (Δ: up to – 31.4%) and semioval centers (Δ: up to – 33.6%), the largest increase in MD was recorded in hooked bundles (Δ: up to 24.4%); right prefrontal, orbitofrontal and parietal areas (Δ up to 28.0%). According to the MoSA scale, moderate cognitive impairment was detected in 29 of 34 (85.3%) patients with a significant decrease in scores in the domains of EIS, VIS, LIS and AIS (p &lt;0.001). The severity of early clinical manifestations of cSVD (non-amnestic polydomain moderate disorders of attention, speech, visual-spatial and executive cognitive functions) has been found to be moderately / markedly correlated with THMS, MD (positive) and FA (negative).Conclusions. We determined early visual signs of cSVD associated with arterial hypertension: dilated perivascular spaces, hyperintensity of the periventricular deep white matter of the brain, decrease by 9–33.6% of FA coefficient and increase by 20.8% – 28.0% MD. Moderate correlations between neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have been demonstrated.

Disorganized resting-state functional connectivity between the dorsal attention network and intrinsic networks in Parkinson's disease with freezing of gait.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a common and complex manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is associated with impairment of attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional network connectivity (FNc) changes between the dorsal attention network (DAN) and the other seven intrinsic networks relevant to attention, visual-spatial, executive and motor functions in PD with or without FOG. Forty-three idiopathic PD patients (21 with FOG [FOG+] versus 22 without FOG [FOG-]) and 18 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in this study. The data-driven independent component analysis (ICA) method was used to extract and analyze the above-mentioned resting-state networks (RSNs). Compared with FOG-, FOG+ displayed decreased positive connectivity between the DAN and medial visual network (mVN) and sensory-motor network (SMN) and increased negative connectivity between the DAN and default mode network (DMN). The within-network connectivity in the SMN and visual networks were decreased, whereas the connectivity within DMN was increased significantly in FOG+. Correlation analysis showed that the clock drawing test (CDT) scores were positively correlated with the functional connectivity of mVN (r=0.573, p=0.008) and lateral visual network (lVN) (r=0.510, p=0.022), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) duration were negatively correlated with the connectivity of SMN (r= -0.629, p=0.003), and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) scores were negatively correlated with the connectivity of DMN in FOG+. Functional connectivity was changed in multiple intra-networks in patients with FOG. Inordinate inter-network connectivity between the DAN and other intrinsic networks may partly contribute to the mechanism of freezing.