The effects of psilocybin, dextro-amphetamine and placebo on performance of the trail making test.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Several testing procedures borrowed from Reitan's extensive investigations of impairment in brain function were employed in the present study (Tactual Performance Test, Trail Making Test, Seashore Rhythm Test, Speech Sounds Perception Test, Finger Oscillation Test). These tests were administer to three groups of Ss matched for age, education, and sex distribution. All Ss were 40 years of age or older. The groups were: hospitalized psychiatric patients suspected by their psychiatrists of some degree of organic impairment; hospitalized psychiatric patients not suspected of any organic impairment; and nonhospitalized, apparently normally functioning control Ss. Four months after the beginning of the study, the psychiatrists reevaluated and reclassified the patient Ss and formed new groups of those suspected and not suspected of organic impairment. A comparison of group means that used the original S groups showed that three of nine test scores were nondiscriminating, while the remaining six discriminated the control Ss from the patients, but not the two patient groups from each other. A similar comparison that used the revised patient groups formed from the psychiatrists' re-evaluations after an additional 4 months of observation yielded four test scores that discriminated successfully between the two patient groups: Tactual Performance Test, total time; Trail Making Test, Part A and Part B; and Finger Oscillation Test, right hand. These four test scores predicted the later classification of the patients more accurately than did the psychiatrists' own original evaluations, which would be in keeping with the general function of diagnostic testing, i.e., to provide initial information about patients beyond that which can be obtained from initial psychiatric examination.
To examine the neuropsychological deficits of patients with Wilson's disease (WD), 19 neurologically impaired patients with WD were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (revised), Wechsler Memory Scale, Dementia Rating Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Boston Naming Test, Trail Making Test, and Animal Naming Test. Their test scores were compared with those of 12 neurologically asymptomatic patients with WD and 15 normal controls. The neurologically impaired patients scored lower than did the control group on the Performance IQ, Full-Scale IQ, Dementia Rating Scale, and Trail Making Test, and they scored lower on the Wechsler Memory Scale than did both the asymptomatic and control groups. The major areas of deficit for the neurologically impaired WD group were in motor and memory functioning. Computed tomographic and neurologic examinations of the neurologically impaired patients with WD generally reflected abnormalities of the basal ganglia.
Examined in a normal sample (N = 365) the number of subjects was classified as impaired on several commonly used neuropsychological tests (Seashore Rhythm Test, Trail Making Test, Finger Tapping Test, and Grooved Pegboard Test) in reference to conventional cut-off scores. The sample was stratified on the basis of age, sex, and education. For the sample as a whole, the percentage of subjects classified as impaired ranged from 15.6 to 80. In some subgroups on some tests, the percentage so classified was 100. The data were discussed in relation to the need to adjust conventional cut-off scores for the influence of subject variables. In addition, cross-cultural differences on some tests suggested the need for local or national normative studies.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality (VR) exergaming enhances several cognitive domains through multisensory engagement. Acute cognitive benefits of VR are established, but evidence for direct comparisons with non-immersive controls is limited. This study aimed to determine whether VR exercise provides additional cognitive and cognitive-motor benefits beyond a matched non-immersive active stick-fight video (SFV) intervention, and whether effects persist after training. METHODS: In this randomized quasi-experimental study, N = 55 healthy adults (VR: n = 30; SFV: n = 25; 25.5 ± 7.1 years; 41.8% female) completed an 8-week program (2 × 30 min/week), of VR or SFV matched in movement patterns, frequency, intensity and duration. Measurements included reaction time (RT), Stroop Test (versions 1-3), Letter Cancellation Test (LCT), Trail Making Test (TMT), Trail Walking Test (TWT) and Fitts task (difficulty level 1-4). Data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVAs. RESULTS: Improvements were observed in Stroop reading (F(1,53) = 14.84, p < .001, η2 = 0.219), Stroop inhibition (F(1,53) = 10.99, p = .002, η2 = 0.172), and LCT (F(1,53) = 4.57, p = .037, η2 = 0.079). A time × group interaction was found for TMT (F(1,53) = 6.55, p = .031, η2 = 0.110), indicating greater changes following VR training. Both groups improved cognitive-motor performance (TWT: F(1,25) = 55.32, p < .001, η2 = 0.689; Fitts3: F(1,53) = 44.97, p < .001, η2 = 0.459), with greater gains for VR in Fitts3 (p = .006). CONCLUSION(S): Eight weeks of VR and SFV enhanced cognitive and cognitive-motor performance. VR provided domain-specific advantages in executive function, but these effects were not uniformly persistent. SFV sustained more improvements in real-world-relevant cognitive-motor tasks.
A neuropsychological screening battery including the Mini-Mental State Examination and four other brief cognitive tests (Russell's Adaptation of the Visual Reproduction Test, Trail Making Test, Verbal Fluency Tests on letters and category, and the Buschke Selective Reminding Test) was administered to a randomly selected population sample of 403 subjects aged 68 to 77 years to evaluate the effect of education, age, and sex on test scores. The difference in neuropsychological screening tests between various education groups (3 years or less, 4 to 6 years, 7 years or more) was statistically highly significant, even after the adjustment for the effect of age. The subscores and total scores were lowest in the minimal education group on every neuropsychological test. Education correlated more strongly than age with all neuropsychological test scores and subscores. The effect of sex on test results was seen only in some subscores of brief neuropsychological tests but not in a single item of the Mini-Mental State Examination. On the basis of our results, the effects of education, age, and sex have to be evaluated before using brief neuropsychological tests in population-based dementia screening.
In a pilot study, a neuropsychological minibattery of tests consisting of Trail-Making Test A (TMA), Trail-Making Test B (TMB), and the Visual Reproduction subtest (VR) of the Wechsler Memory Scale was administered to patients with common psychiatric diagnoses in a psychiatric emergency room (ER). Patients with adjustment disorders were not distinguishable from normal controls, while patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia were more impaired than both of these samples. It is suggested that this or a similar minibattery of tests can be of use as an adjunct screening device for differential diagnosis of adjustment disorder versus more serious psychopathology in psychiatric ERs.
Traumatic closed head injury results in a variety of cognitive and behavioral deficits that may be difficult to assess fully. Adequately evaluating driving safety is a common and important problem for health care professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between standardized measures of cognitive function and measures of driving performance in patients with closed head injuries and in their age-matched relative or friend cohorts. Thirteen patients were evaluated. They had each sustained a closed head injury (followed by more than 1 h of coma) 3 to 6 months before testing. Their scores were analyzed along with those of seven cohorts. Assessments of cognitive function and behind-the-wheel driving performance were conducted by examiners blinded to subjects' group membership and medical condition. There was a significant relationship (r = 0.44) between the sum of rated scores of the Tactual Performance Test and Trail Making Test and the global pass/fail ratings of the behind-the-wheel driving test, but it was not related to the driving performance score. The difference between the verbal and performance IQs, and the difference between the block design and other performance tests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised were also not significantly related to driving performance. These results suggest that tests of cognitive function alone are not adequate to predict driving performance, and should be used along with standardized driving performance evaluations before recommendations are made.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dual transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and to explore the effects on the hierarchical organization of functional brain networks, ranging from regional synchronization to inter-regional connectivity and global network topology. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 74 PSCI patients received conventional therapy alongside either active dual-tDCS (n = 38) or sham stimulation (n = 36). Active tDCS targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) via anodal-left/cathodal-right nodes (2.0 mA, 20 min/day, 20 sessions). The primary outcome was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Secondary outcomes included the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Stroop Test (ST), Trail Making Test (TMT), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), and Barthel Index (BI). A subgroup of 36 participants (18 per group) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to analyze regional homogeneity (ReHo), functional connectivity (FC), and network topology. Partial correlations assessed the association between neuroimaging alterations and clinical improvements. RESULTS: The tDCS group showed significantly greater improvements in MoCA scores (tDCS: 5.74 ± 2.76 vs. sham: 2.69 ± 2.69; t = 4.799, p < 0.001) as well as in attention and memory domains compared to the sham group. The rs-fMRI changes included increased ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and reduced FC between the right MTG-left superior frontal gyrus and left IFG-cerebellum (p < 0.05, FWE-corrected). Additionally, small-worldness and global efficiency increased (p < 0.05) with these alterations correlating with clinical recovery. Adverse events were rare and self-limiting. CONCLUSION: Dual-tDCS over bilateral DLPFC safely improves cognitive recovery in PSCI. These clinical gains are associated with rs-fMRI alterations, specifically in regional synchronization, inter-regional connectivity, and global topology, which suggest a potential biomarker for monitoring tDCS efficacy, offering a rationale for precision neuromodulation in stroke rehabilitation.
The importance of genetic factors in alcoholism has prompted a search for trait or vulnerability markers of a predisposition toward this disorder. Responding to the diverse and at times persistent neuropsychologic impairments observed in alcoholics, several laboratories have documented possible neurocognitive deficits in young men with alcoholic biologic fathers. This paper begins with a review of this complex, and at times contradictory, literature and then presents original data comparing 24 sons of alcoholic fathers with 24 control subjects matched on demography and drinking histories. Among the present sample of students and working men aged 18 to 25 years, the sons of alcoholics demonstrated no significant levels of impairment on the Category Test, the Trail Making Test Part B, Body Sway, Word REcall, or the Missing Digit Test. Taken together with the literature, these negative findings call into question whether any specific array of neurocognitive or psychomotor test results will in the near future prove to be clinically relevant general markers of a risk for alcoholism.
The present study investigated the influence of perceptual field orientation, as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), on cognitive functioning among alcoholics and nonalcoholics. The subjects were classified as field dependent, intermediate, or field independent based upon their GEFT scores. Cognitive function was assessed by the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale as well as the Category Test. Tactual Performance Test, and Trail Making Tests of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Three primary findings emerged. First, the alcoholics appeared to be significantly impaired on measures of abstraction, problem solving, and adaptive abilities relative to nonalcoholics. Second, a direct relationship was found between GEFT scores and level of cognitive function within both alcoholic and nonalcoholic samples, with field-dependent subjects evidencing the most impaired performance. Third, the level of perceptual field orientation accounted for a large portion of the variance between the alcoholic and nonalcoholic samples, with field-independent alcoholics performing at a level comparable to or greater than other nonalcoholic subroups on a number of the cognitive variables. These results provide validational support for the GEFT and indicate that field orientation may be a relevant variable in the assessment of cognitive function in both alcoholics and nonalcoholics.