Wisconsin card sorting test: a new global score, with Italian norms, and its relationship with the Weigl sorting test

Abstract

The Wisconsin card sorting test and the Weigl test are two neuropsychological tools widely used in clinical practice to assess frontal lobe functions. In this study we present norms useful for Italian subjects aged from 15 to 85 years, with 5-17 years of education. Concerning the Wisconsin card sorting test, a new measure of global efficiency (global score) is proposed as well as norms for some well known qualitative aspects of the performance, i.e. perseverative responses, failure to maintain the set and non-perseverative errors. In setting normative values, we followed a statistical methodology (equivalent scores) employed in Italy for other neuropsychological tests, in order to favour the possibility of comparison among these tests. A correlation study between the global score of the Wisconsin card sorting test and the score on the Weigl test was carried out and it emerges that some cognitive aspects are not overlapping in these two measures.

Cognitive Functions and White Matter Tract Damage in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Diffusion Tensor Tractography Study

“…Lower FA values of the fronto-occipital and temporo-occipital connections, bilaterally, also were correlated with worse performance at the Wisconsin Card Scoring Test, which is an established measure of rule shifting and mental flexibility. 15 Previous fMRI studies of healthy subjects demonstrated that the performance at tests assessing executive functions relies on the communication among many broadly distributed, functionally specialized regions of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. 20 Interestingly, among these cortical regions are those identified by functional imaging studies to be altered in patients with ALS with cognitive impairment.…”

“…Cognitive and behavioral assessments were administered by a neuropsychologist who was unaware of the clinical and MR imaging data. The neuropsychologic test battery evaluated global cognition with the Mini-Mental State Examination, 10 verbal memory and learning with the Rey word test, 11 visuospatial abilities and spatial memory with the test of copy and recall of Rey's figure, 12 attention and executive functions with the Trail-Making Test (part A that is dependent primarily on the efficiency of visual scanning and psychomotor speed; part B that requires both visuomotor coordination and executive control; and BA score that is calculated as the difference between performance times of part B and part A and is considered a measure of cognitive flexibility, which is relatively independent of manual dexterity), 13 Stroop test, 14 Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, 15 and semantic and phonemic fluency tests. 16 The Mini-Mental State Examination also was administered to the healthy subjects.…”

Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype modifies executive functioning and prefrontal functional connectivity in women with anorexia nervosa

“…5 The global index, 5,24 number of perseverative responses and number of nonperseverative errors were adjusted for age, sex and educational level, as reported by Laiacona and colleagues. 24 Neuroimaging protocol and image processing The segmented anatomic images of all participants were used to obtain voxel-wise probability maps of grey matter to be used as a nuisance variable in statistical analyses, as described by Oakes and colleagues.…”

“…5 The global index, 5,24 number of perseverative responses and number of nonperseverative errors were adjusted for age, sex and educational level, as reported by Laiacona and colleagues. 24 Neuroimaging protocol and image processing The segmented anatomic images of all participants were used to obtain voxel-wise probability maps of grey matter to be used as a nuisance variable in statistical analyses, as described by Oakes and colleagues. 25 Resting-state scans were preprocessed with both Analysis of Functional NeuroImages (version AFNI_2010_10_19_1028; http://afni.nimh.nih.gov/afni; National Institute of Mental Health) and FMRIB Software Library (FSL version 4.1.6; http://www.fmrib.ox.ac.uk; FMRIB Centre).…”

Traumatic Brain Injury and Executive Functioning in an Incarcerated Sample

“…The research regarding the influence of gender has been mixed. Data regarding race and ethnicity of the standardization sample were not reported, though subsequent research has provided normative data for Spanish-speaking individuals (Artiola I Fortuny, Heaton, & Hermosillo, 1998) and Italians (Laiacona, Inzaghi, De Tanti, & Capitani, 2000). The standardization sample consisted of 899 neurologically normal subjects ranging in age from 6 years, 5 months to 89 years, and scoring tables are provided based on the person's age or a combination of age and level of education achieved (Heaton et al, 1993).…”