The frontal assessment battery (FAB) reveals neurocognitive dysfunction in substance-dependent individuals in distinct executive domains: Abstract reasoning, motor programming, and cognitive flexibility

Interindividual differences in cognitive flexibility: Influence of gray-matter volume, functional connectivity and trait impulsivity

“…Our current results suggest that this decrease in aINS volume might be related to executive functioning deficits. In line with this assumption, poorer executive functions have been reported in all these patient groups (Albein-Urios et al 2012;Cunha et al 2010;van der Plas et al 2009;Haaland and Landro 2009;Willcutt et al 2005;Orellana and Slachevsky 2013;Behrwind et al 2011). Thus, the observed decrease in anterior insular GMV may be regarded as one neural substrate of executive deficits in these patient groups.…”

“…In fact, it has been argued that most of the variance of the relationship found between Extraversion and cognitive performance can be explained by impulsivity (Dickman 1993). In line with this view, virtually all disorders associated with high impulsivity go along with executive deficits (Gonzalez-Gadea et al 2013;Haaland and Landro 2009;Verdejo-Garcia and Perez-Garcia 2007;Albein-Urios et al 2012;van der Plas et al 2009;Cunha et al 2010). Finally, according to Dickman (1993), high-and low-impulsive individuals differ in their ability of shifting attention.…”

Reasoning deficits among illicit drug users are associated with aspects of cannabis use

“…For example, a group of cocaine dependent individuals, who also had a history of recent cannabis use, did significantly worse on the similarities reasoning test (Cunha, Nicastri, de Andrade & Bolla, 2010). Furthermore, in a group of polysubstance abusers who had requested treatment for drug related problems, measures of cocaine and cannabis use were selectively associated with deficits in analogical reasoning, in a dose related manner (Fernández-Serrano, Pérez-García, Río-Valle & Verdejo-García, 2010).…”

“…Therefore the presence of illicit drug-related reasoning deficits in the present sample of illicit drug users is not without precedent and while previous studies using syllogisms have linked this to ecstasy use Montgomery et al 2005), the present results suggest that cannabis is also implicated. It is also worthy of note that Cunha et al's (2010) With regard to the underlying causes of cannabis-related effects, there is evidence to suggest that a history of cannabis use is associated with neural changes in areas which play a role in reasoning performance. For example, Kanayama et al (2004) found that relative to controls, cannabis users demonstrated higher activation levels in the PFC and anterior cingulate during the completion of a spatial working memory task and also showed activations in areas not normally seen in controls including the basal ganglia.…”

Language, executive functioning and symptomatology—Is fluency a transversal tool in schizophrenia?

“…It consists of 6 subtests that evaluate a specific executive component (conceptualization/reasoning, mental flexibility, inhibition, environmental autonomy, interference sensitivity and motor programming). The FAB allows a rapid screening of the executive functioning, is significantly correlated with classical neuropsychological tests (such as WSCT, Stroop test or Mattis Scale) [36], has good metric properties [35], helps differentiate clinical populations [35] including schizophrenics [37] and is correlated with perfusion intensity (SPECT) on the medial and dorsolateral regions of frontal cortex [36]. The speed of execution of the FAB enables the experimenter to avoid tiredness or motivation and state changes.…”