The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the cognitive assessment of prefrontal executive functions: A critical update

Nyhus, Erika; Barceló, Francisco

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2009.03.005

Cited by 361 publications

(292 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Specifically, the number of correct responses reflects the subject's ability to discover the correct classification principle based on trial and error and the examiner's feedback, and to choose the correct rule and maintain this sorting principle (or set) across changing stimulus conditions while ignoring other-now irrelevant-stimulus dimensions [31]. According to the results of this study, the PTSD group had a better ability to find the correct classification principle than controls; hence, it is probable that this group presented greater cognitive flexibility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EEG Correlations during WCST Performance in Female Adolescents with Sexual Abuse-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Martínez¹,

Sanz-Martín²,

Guevara³

et al. 2015

JBBS

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Child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors can present post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alterations in EEG activity and cognition. The aim of this study was to evaluate EEG correlations in female adolescents with CSA-related PTSD during performance of the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WSCT). Inter-and intrahemispheric EEG correlations (INTERr and INTRAr) of those subjects were calculated at rest and during performance of WCST. On this task, the PTSD group obtained higher scores than the control group for the number of correct responses and failure to maintain set. In the between-groups comparisons, the PTSD group presented a higher INTERr between frontal areas in the gamma and slow bands, as well as a higher correlation in the delta band at Fp1-F3; however, this group presented a lower INTRAr between Fp1-P3 and Fp2-P4 in the theta and alpha1 bands. In the comparison between conditions, the PTSD group presented an increased correlation during execution of the WCST, mainly in the gamma band, while the control group showed a decrease of INTRAr in the slow bands. Results are discussed with respect to the influence of CSArelated PTSD on the development of cognition and functional connectivity in the brain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EEG Correlations during WCST Performance in Female Adolescents with Sexual Abuse-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Martínez¹,

Sanz-Martín²,

Guevara³

et al. 2015

JBBS

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“…x-axis: cortical thickness in mm, y-axis: WCST accuracy (% correct responses); r: Pearson's correlation coefficients, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, Fig. S2), which are outside the fronto-parietal WCST network as described in Nyhus and Barcelo, [2009]; Buchsbaum et al, [2005]. P < 0.001), we averaged the thickness of both hemispheres in subsequent analyses (M younger ¼ 2.59 AE 0.09, M older ¼ 2.44 AE 0.09).…”

Section: Associations Between Age Group and Cortical Thicknessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In healthy adults, performing the WCST results in increased functional brain activity within a distributed fronto-parietal network [see Buchsbaum et al, 2005;Nyhus and Barcelo, 2009, for reviews]. The right prefrontal (PFC) and parietal cortices are most consistently recruited during the WCST, with less consistent findings regarding activation of the temporal and occipital lobe, as well as subcortical gray matter [Buchsbaum et al, 2005;Nyhus and Barcelo, 2009].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This might reflect relatively small sample sizes, ElderkinThompson et al, 2008, n ¼ 23;Gur et al, 1998, n ¼ 17;Sanfilipo et al, 2002, n ¼ 27, or stem from combining the WCST with other tests, whose neural substrates may not be overlapping [Van Petten et al, 2004]. In addition to issues regarding sample size and use of composite scores of executive functioning, the studies reporting negative results are affected by at least one of the following limitations: (a) use of volumetric measures, which confound cortical thickness, surface area, and folding [Im et al, 2006a,b]; a direct comparison of volumetric measures based on voxel-based morphometry and cortical thickness measures in 48 healthy adults aged 22-60 years revealed that volumetric measures were less sensitive, had lower signal-to-noise ratio, lower T-scores, and were more confounded by overall brain size than thickness measures [Hutton et al 2009]; (b) gross definition of frontal volume or frontal gyri, pooling together functionally dissociable areas, such as the dorsal and ventrolateral PFC, the orbitofrontal cortex, and premotor areas; and (c) investigation of frontal-lobe volume only, although the WCST is no longer considered a specific test of prefrontal function [Nyhus and Barcelo, 2009].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, our goal was twofold: (a) to better characterize the relations between cortical thickness of brain regions associated with the WCST (as defined in previous functional neuroimaging studies) [Buschbaum et al, 2005;Nyhus and Barcelo, 2009] To accomplish these goals, in a sample of 73 younger and 56 older healthy adults, we (a) measured cortical thickness, a clearly defined anatomical property (distance between the gray/white matter boundary and the cortical surface) [Fischl and Dale, 2000;MacDonald et al, 2000] that better reflects the surface-based organization of the cortex than gray-matter density or gyral/lobar volume [Hutton et al, 2009;Im et al, 2006a,b]; (b) used higher spatial precision of the measurement by calculating cortical thickness at each location of the cortical mantle [Fischl and Dale, 2000], using procedures that have been validated against histological [Rosas et al, 2002] and manual [Kuperberg et al, 2003;Salat et al, 2004] measurements; (c) applied a hypothesis-free search of the entire cerebrum, known to be more sensitive to focal effects than averaging a brain measure over a large region [e.g., Barrick et al, 2010;Voormolen et al, 2010;Ziegler et al, 2010]; and (d) used a single standardized test, WCST, which allows direct comparison to previous functional neuroimaging studies [Buchsbaum et al, 2005;Nyhus and Barcelo, 2009]. The study was guided by two main hypotheses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cortical thickness is linked to executive functioning in adulthood and aging

Burzyńska¹,

Nagel²,

Preuschhof³

et al. 2011

Human Brain Mapping

118

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Executive functions that are dependent upon the frontal-parietal network decline considerably during the course of normal aging. To delineate neuroanatomical correlates of age-related executive impairment, we investigated the relation between cortical thickness and executive functioning in 73 younger (20-32 years) and 56 older (60-71 years) healthy adults. Executive functioning was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Cortical thickness was measured at each location of the cortical mantle using surface-based segmentation procedures on high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance images. For regions involved in WCST performance, such as the lateral prefrontal and parietal cortices, we found that thicker cortex was related to higher accuracy. Follow-up ROI-based analyses revealed that these associations were stronger in older than in younger adults. Moreover, among older adults, high and low performers differed in cortical thickness within regions generally linked to WCST performance. Our results indicate that the structural cortical correlates of executive functioning largely overlap with previously identified functional patterns. We conclude that structural preservation of relevant brain regions is associated with higher levels of executive performance in old age, and underscore the need to consider the heterogeneity of brain aging in relation to cognitive functioning. Hum Brain Mapp 33:1607-1620,

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Contribution of genes in the GABAergic pathway to bipolar disorder and its executive function deficit in the Chinese Han population

Ren

Guan

Zhao

et al. 2017

American J of Med Genetics Pt B

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In this study, we investigated the association between bipolar I disorder (BDI) and between cognitive deficits therein and SNPs in GABAergic receptor genes. The sample comprised 477 patients with BDI and 438 healthy controls, with three neurocognitive tests being administered in 123 patients and 164 controls. For three SNPs, rs505474, rs1398175, and rs4868029 in the GABRA2, GABRA4, and GABRP genes, respectively, their allele frequencies were significantly different between patients and controls (Bonferroni-adjusted p = values 3.84 × 10 , 9.92 × 10 , and 1.22 × 10 , respectively). Four haplotypes were significantly associated with BDI (TA and AG for rs3815762 and rs4868029 in GABRP, GG for rs11636988 and rs8024256 in GABRB3 and GAGG for rs2197414, rs4921195, rs13188991, and rs11956731 in GABRA6, with p values of 0.0038, 0.044, 0.0176, and 0.0267, respectively, on 10,000 permutations). Furthermore, the SNP (rs2912585) within 250 kb upstream of the GABRB3 gene displayed a strong association with the Tower of Hanoi (TOH) executive time in the patient group (p = 2.844 × 10 ). One other SNP (rs754661), which is located at the intronic region of the same gene, was associated with the global trait of the executive function and post hoc analysis showed significant SNP by group effect (p = 0.0094). Our study supports previous findings that GABA receptor genes are associated with bipolar disorder; it also suggests that the GABA genes, especially the GABRB3 gene, might play a role in the executive function deficit in bipolar disorder, although future replication with a larger sample size is needed.

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The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the cognitive assessment of prefrontal executive functions: A critical update

Cited by 361 publications

References 82 publications

EEG Correlations during WCST Performance in Female Adolescents with Sexual Abuse-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

EEG Correlations during WCST Performance in Female Adolescents with Sexual Abuse-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Cortical thickness is linked to executive functioning in adulthood and aging

Contribution of genes in the GABAergic pathway to bipolar disorder and its executive function deficit in the Chinese Han population

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