The current study examined cognitive effects of unilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Neuropsychological evaluations were conducted at baseline and follow-up. Data was collected from 28 unilateral STN DBS patients (15 English- and 13 Spanish-speaking), and 15 English-speaking matched PD control patients. English-speaking DBS patients demonstrated significant declines in verbal fluency and attention/executive function, whereas PD control patients did not experience significant cognitive decline. Cognitive performance did not differ based on side of DBS. Spanish-speaking DBS patients experienced significant declines in verbal fluency, confrontational naming and visuospatial abilities. Among Spanish-speaking DBS patients, older age and later age of disease onset predicted verbal fluency decline, even after controlling for education.

Little is known about the specific cognitive impairments that may be the cause of the reported increased crash rate in individuals with early dementia. Though, it is widely accepted that attention, visuospatial and perceptual abilities are central in being able to operate a vehicle safely. This study had three objectives. The first was to clarify the neuropsychological profile, with an emphasis on attention, visuospatial and perceptual abilities, of individuals with early dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the next was to examine the driving performances of two groups of individuals with early dementia (i.e., early Alzheimer’s disease, AD, and early DLB) and the last was to examine the degree of association between neuropsychological impairments and driving impairments in hopes of predicting poor driving outcomes. Fifty-six participants were recruited from three groups; 20 individuals diagnosed with early AD, 15 individuals diagnosed with early DLB and 21 healthy age-matched controls. All participants were administered the following neuropsychological tests: the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS-2), the Boston Naming Test (BNT), the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA), the Visual Object and Space Perception Test (VOSP) and the Useful Field of View (UFOV). Additionally, a simulated driving task was completed, with data being collected through primary measures recorded by the simulator as well as an experimenter based driving assessment using a demerit-point test. Results indicated that individuals with early DLB were found to be most impaired in their visuospatial abilities, selective and divided attention abilities, and were found to have significant cognitive fluctuations. Driving performances confirmed that drivers with early dementia were at greater risk for motor vehicle collisions (MVC) and they were found to commit a significant number of driving errors during the driving simulation. Finally, this study was able to demonstrate that in drivers with early AD, attentional impairments were the strongest predictors of driving impairment, whereas in drivers with early DLB, visuospatial impairments were indicative of driving impairment.

In light of collated research linking temperament traits and executive performance, the aim of this study is to explore, in a large non-clinical sample, the differences in executive performance profiles among participants with different intensities of the trait Novelty Seeking (NS). A further aim is to establish which facets of NS contribute to these differences. The NS temperament dimension and its subscales were operationalised as scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), which is based on the psychobiological theory of personality. The University of Pennsylvania Computerised Neuropsychological Test Battery (PennCNP) of executive functioning (EF) and abstract reasoning was used to measure participants’ neuropsychological EF. The total sample of participants (n= 461) was divided into high NS (n= 216) and low NS (n= 245) groups to investigate any significant differences between them. Further analysis was then conducted in order to analyse the relationship between the NS scale, the four subscales (Exploratory Excitability, Impulsiveness, Extravagance, and Disorderliness), and performance in executive tasks. The findings of this study indicated significant differences between groups with different intensities of NS, with the high NS group functioning notably better in performance and reaction time. Furthermore, this study showed that facets of NS, such as impulsiveness was a significant contributor to EF performance outcomes. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

Little is known about the specific cognitive impairments that may be the cause of the reported increased crash rate in individuals with early dementia. Though, it is widely accepted that attention, visuospatial and perceptual abilities are central in being able to operate a vehicle safely. This study had three objectives. The first was to clarify the neuropsychological profile, with an emphasis on attention, visuospatial and perceptual abilities, of individuals with early dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the next was to examine the driving performances of two groups of individuals with early dementia (i.e., early Alzheimer’s disease, AD, and early DLB) and the last was to examine the degree of association between neuropsychological impairments and driving impairments in hopes of predicting poor driving outcomes. Fifty-six participants were recruited from three groups; 20 individuals diagnosed with early AD, 15 individuals diagnosed with early DLB and 21 healthy age-matched controls. All participants were administered the following neuropsychological tests: the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS-2), the Boston Naming Test (BNT), the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA), the Visual Object and Space Perception Test (VOSP) and the Useful Field of View (UFOV). Additionally, a simulated driving task was completed, with data being collected through primary measures recorded by the simulator as well as an experimenter based driving assessment using a demerit-point test. Results indicated that individuals with early DLB were found to be most impaired in their visuospatial abilities, selective and divided attention abilities, and were found to have significant cognitive fluctuations. Driving performances confirmed that drivers with early dementia were at greater risk for motor vehicle collisions (MVC) and they were found to commit a significant number of driving errors during the driving simulation. Finally, this study was able to demonstrate that in drivers with early AD, attentional impairments were the strongest predictors of driving impairment, whereas in drivers with early DLB, visuospatial impairments were indicative of driving impairment.

No description available.

It has been well-established in the literature that a history of concussion makes individuals more susceptible to sustaining subsequent concussions. However, there is little neuropsychological evidence of how sustaining multiple lifetime concussions affects cognitive functioning in the general adult population. It is known from previous traumatic brain injury and single concussion literature that impairments in cognitive performance across domains often follow the initial injury, and exploratory studies have shown that multiple concussions can have a measurable impact on cognition. However, existing research is often limited by its reliance on archival data and abbreviated neuropsychological batteries. Therefore, the current study aimed to fill this gap in the literature to help inform clinical prognoses and treatment considerations. Analyses of attention and memory outcomes revealed significant associations between concussion history and performance, but they were directionally opposite from expectations. When discrepancy scores were used to account for participants’ estimated intellectual functioning, these associations were no longer significant. Executive functioning was also not significantly associated with concussion history, either with or without accounting for intelligence, contrary to expectations. On language and spatial measures, outcomes were unrelated to concussion history, as expected. Together, results from the present study emphasized the multifaceted nature of concussions and highlighted the many necessary considerations when investigating long-term outcomes, particularly when multiple concussions are involved. Future research would likely benefit from continuing to explore the neurocognitive impact of sustaining multiple concussions in the general adult population and expanding the current research with larger, more representative samples, neuroimaging, and baseline data, as available.

No description available.

Despite emergent attempts to connect temperament to a neurobiological etiology there has been little research that focuses on the relationship between temperament and character and neuropsychological test performance. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between temperament, character and performance on neuropsychological tests of executive functioning. Temperament and character dimensions were operationalized according to the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), a 240-item measure that is based on the psychobiological theory of personality. Neuropsychological performance was measured on the University of Pennsylvania Computerized Neuropsychological Test Battery (PennCNP), which is a test of executive functioning and abstract reasoning. The PennCNP comprised a test of Motor Praxis (MPRAXIS), the Penn Abstraction, Inhibition and Working Memory Task (AIM), the Letter-N-Back (LNB2), the Penn Conditional Exclusion Task (PCET), the Penn Short Logical Reasoning Task (SPVRT) and the Short Raven’s Progressive Matrices (SRAVEN). The sample comprised 422 first year psychology students at a residential university in South Africa. The results from this explorative study showed a moderate relationship between temperament, character and executive functioning. The temperament dimensions Novelty Seeking and Reward Dependence were positively related to AIM-NM, AIM and SPVRT, and inversely related to MPRAXIS. These results validate the importance of research that investigates the relationship between temperament and character dimensions and neuropsychological performance. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

No description available.

Abstract The purpose of the present work was to investigate whether children with non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have deficits in neuropsychological performance and whether the possible deficits can be investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this population-based study, 21 children aged 8-15 with non-lesional TLE and a normal intelligence quotient were evaluated and compared with 21 healthy, age- and gender-matched controls. Neuropsychological assessments, clinical examinations, electroencephalography (EEG) and structural and functional MRI were performed on all the subjects. Three fMRI methods were used: resting-state regional homogeneity, resting-state functional connectivity and task-induced blood oxygenation level-dependent activation. The patients with non-lesional TLE showed good neuropsychological performance on average, although the girls were found to have significant problems in several neuropsychological tests. The deficits were not restricted to elements of performance involving the classical temporal lobe memory system but were also found in tests requiring frontal and parietal lobe functioning. Early onset of epilepsy and duration of epilepsy had significant negative effects on neuropsychological performance. All the fMRI methods detected significant functional differences between the TLE patients and the healthy controls, not only in the temporal lobes but also in broad networks extending to the frontal, parietal and thalamic areas. These differences seemed to differ markedly in location between the TLE patients depending on the interictal EEG findings. Neuropsychological performance results were supported by the fMRI findings, implying that TLE should be regarded as a widespread disruption of the brain networks and not just malfunction of a single region in the brain within these networks. This needs to be taken into consideration when evaluating learning abilities among TLE patients even at an early stage in epilepsy. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää onko lapsilla, jotka sairastavat tuntemattomasta syystä aiheutuvaa ohimolohkoepilepsiaa, neuropsykologisia ongelmia ja aiheuttavatko mahdolliset ongelmat aivojen toiminnallisessa magneettikuvauksessa nähtäviä muutoksia. Tähän väestöpohjaiseen tutkimukseen otettiin 21 tuntemattomasta syystä ohimolohkoepilepsiaa sairastavaa normaaliälyistä 8-15-vuotiaista lasta ja verrattiin heitä 21 terveeseen, ikä- ja sukupuolivakioituun kontrollihenkilöön. Kaikille tutkimukseen osallistuneille tehtiin neuropsykologinen tutkimus, kliininen tutkimus, aivosähkökäyrä sekä rakenteellinen ja toiminnallinen aivojen magneettikuvaus. Toiminnallisessa magneettikuvauksessa käytettiin veren happipitoisuudesta riippuvaista (engl. blood oxygenation level-dependent) kontrastia kuvantamaan levossa aivojen paikallista homogeniteettia (engl. regional homogeneity) ja toiminnallista kytkennällisyyttä (engl. functional connectivity) sekä kognitiivisten tehtävien herättämiä aktivaatio-vasteita. Tuntemattomasta syystä ohimolohkoepilepsiaa sairastavien lasten neuropsykologinen suoriutuminen oli keskimäärin hyvää, vaikkakin tytöillä oli nähtävillä tilastollisesti merkitseviä ongelmia useissa eri testeissä. Ongelmat eivät rajoittuneet pelkästään klassisiin ohimolohkoalueen muistitoimintoihin, vaan niitä havaittiin myös otsa- ja päälakilohkojen toimintoja edellyttävissä testeissä. Varhainen sairastumisikä ja epilepsian kesto heikensivät suoriutumista tilastollisesti merkitsevästi osatesteissä, joissa tarvittiin näönvaraisen hahmottamisen taitoja, psykomotorista nopeutta ja työmuistia. Ohimolohkoepilepsiaa sairastavien ja terveiden kontrollien aivoissa löydettiin toiminnallisia eroja kaikilla toiminnallisen magneettikuvauksen menetelmillä. Eroja ei todettu ainoastaan ohimolohkoissa, vaan niitä löytyi myös otsa- ja päälakilohkoon sekä tyvitumakealueelle ylettyvissä laaja-alaisissa hermoverkostoissa. Epilepsiapotilailla erojen paikantuminen riippui kohtaustenvälisestä aivosähkökäyrälöydöksestä. Neuropsykologisen suoriutumisen tulokset tukevat toiminnallisen magneettikuvauksen löydöksiä kuvastaen temporaaliepilepsian olevan laaja-alainen hermoverkostojen häiriö eikä pelkästään tietyn aivoalueen toiminnan häiriö. Tämä tulee huomioida arvioitaessa ohimolohkoepilepsiaa sairastavien lasten oppimiskykyä jo epilepsian alkuvaiheessa.