P H R Silva1, C T Spedo2, A A Barreira2, R F Leoni3. 1. Dept. of Physics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil. 2. Dept. of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, FMRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil. 3. Dept. of Physics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: leonirf@usp.br.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is widely used for cognitive evaluation of information processing speed (IPS), required in many cognitive operations. Despite being unspecific for different neurological disorders, it is sensitive to assess impaired performance related to stroke, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. However, in addition to evaluate the presence and severity of IPS impairment, it is of interest to determine the localization and integration of brain regions responsible for the functions assessed by the SDMT. OBJECTIVE: To review the studies that adapted the SDMT to the magnetic resonance environment and obtain the brain areas associated with the performance of the task in healthy subjects with a meta-analysis. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was performed using ten studies published between 1990 and 2017, and selected from four databases. All studies included participants of both genders and age between 18 and 50 years, used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and SDMT adaptation and reported brain regions associated with the task. Six of them also reported the region coordinates in a standard space, so they were included in a meta-analysis. Activation Likelihood Estimation algorithm, with significance for p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons, was used to identify areas that are robustly related to the performance of the SDMT. RESULTS: The areas predominantly reported in the studies of our meta-analysis were regions of the frontoparietal attentional network and occipital cortex, as well as cuneus, precuneus, and cerebellum. Individually all regions that survived the statistical threshold are consistent with what is expected after reviewing prospective studies. CONCLUSIONS: The present study allowed the identification of brain areas activated during the performance of the SDMT in healthy subjects, and therefore it will help understanding the differences in brain activation by this task in clinical populations. Moreover, it may guide future studies of therapeutic strategies and interventions in those populations.
BACKGROUND: The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is widely used for cognitive evaluation of information processing speed (IPS), required in many cognitive operations. Despite being unspecific for different neurological disorders, it is sensitive to assess impaired performance related to stroke, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. However, in addition to evaluate the presence and severity of IPS impairment, it is of interest to determine the localization and integration of brain regions responsible for the functions assessed by the SDMT. OBJECTIVE: To review the studies that adapted the SDMT to the magnetic resonance environment and obtain the brain areas associated with the performance of the task in healthy subjects with a meta-analysis. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was performed using ten studies published between 1990 and 2017, and selected from four databases. All studies included participants of both genders and age between 18 and 50 years, used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and SDMT adaptation and reported brain regions associated with the task. Six of them also reported the region coordinates in a standard space, so they were included in a meta-analysis. Activation Likelihood Estimation algorithm, with significance for p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons, was used to identify areas that are robustly related to the performance of the SDMT. RESULTS: The areas predominantly reported in the studies of our meta-analysis were regions of the frontoparietal attentional network and occipital cortex, as well as cuneus, precuneus, and cerebellum. Individually all regions that survived the statistical threshold are consistent with what is expected after reviewing prospective studies. CONCLUSIONS: The present study allowed the identification of brain areas activated during the performance of the SDMT in healthy subjects, and therefore it will help understanding the differences in brain activation by this task in clinical populations. Moreover, it may guide future studies of therapeutic strategies and interventions in those populations.
Authors: Céline Hochstrasser; Sarah Rieder; Ursina Jufer-Riedi; Marie-Noëlle Klein; Anthony Feinstein; Brenda L Banwell; Michelle Steiner; Li Mei Cao; Karen Lidzba; Sandra Bigi Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2021-04-22
Authors: Eileanoir B Johnson; Gabriel Ziegler; William Penny; Geraint Rees; Sarah J Tabrizi; Rachael I Scahill; Sarah Gregory Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2020-11-18 Impact factor: 13.382
Authors: Gabriel G de la Torre; Miguel A Ramallo; Sara Gonzalez-Torre; Alvaro Mora Prat; Andrea Rueda-Marroquin; Amanda Sallago-Marcos; Zoraida Toro-Barrios; Manuel A Garcia Journal: Behav Sci (Basel) Date: 2021-12-09