额叶肿瘤患者认知功能和事件相关电位P300的研究

目的 探讨额叶肿瘤患者认知功能的损害和事件相关电位P300有关参数的变化特点,了解额叶在认知功能及P300产生中的作用.方法 对31例额叶肿瘤患者(左侧15例、右侧16例)及30例健康对照者分别进行Stroop字色干扰等多项认知神经心理学测试和P300检查.结果 与健康对照组相比,额叶肿瘤组认知功能各项测试指标评分均显著降低(P＜0.05),P300的N2、P3波潜伏期显著延长(P＜0.05),P3波幅显著降低(P＜0.05).进一步研究发现,右额叶肿瘤组患者的各项认知测试指标评分均显著低于健康对照组(P＜0.05),而左额叶肿瘤组只有词语流畅性指标评分显著低于健康对照组(P＜0.05);与健康对照组相比,左、右额叶肿瘤组P300的N2、P3波潜伏期均显著延长(P＜0.05),P3波幅均显著降低(P＜0.05);左、右额叶肿瘤组患者之间的P300比较则无统计学差异(p＞0.05).结论 额叶肿瘤患者认知功能有明显损害,右侧肿瘤患者的认知功能损害更严重:额叶可能与P300发生或传导有关,且左右额叶无明显的差异.     

头部MRI阴性的颞叶内侧癫痫患者认知功能障碍研究

目的评估头部MRI阴性颞叶内侧癫痫(MTLE)患者认知功能受损特点。方法回顾性分析27名头部MRI阴性的MTLE患者资料,其中左侧MTLE 14例(左侧MTLE组),右侧MTLE 13例(右侧MTLE组)。癫痫患者与性别、年龄和受教育程度严格匹配的14名健康对照者(对照组)均接受蒙特利尔认知评估量表(Mo CA)和失礼识别任务的测评。结果在Mo CA得分方面,两组MTLE患者的Mo CA总分及各分项测试得分均低于对照组(P 0. 05);右侧MTLE组复制立方体得分低于左侧MTLE组和对照组(P 0. 05);右侧MTLE组的画钟试验得分低于左侧MTLE组(P 0. 05);左侧MTLE组句子复述、语言流畅性测试得分低于右侧MTLE组(P 0. 05)。在失礼识别任务得分方面,两组MTLE患者得分均低于对照组(P 0. 05);左侧MTLE组比右侧MTLE组更低(P 0. 05)。结论头部MRI阴性MTLE患者的一般认知功能及高级社会认知功能均受损。     

左右额叶肿瘤患者注意功能的研究

目的 研究左右额叶肿瘤患者的注意功能的损害和事件相关电位(event related potential,ERP)P300的有关参数的变化,了解左右额叶肿瘤对注意功能损害的特点.方法 对31例额叶肿瘤患者(左侧15例、右侧16例)及30例正常对照分别进行Stroop字色干扰实验、数字广度测验(digit span test,DST)、数字颜色连线测验(Color trail test 1,CTT)测试注意功能的神经认知心理学测验和P300检查,并对两者作相关性研究.结果 与正常对照组比较:右额叶肿瘤患者Stroop test、DST、CTT评分均低于正常组,有统计学意义.左额叶肿瘤患者的各项评分虽也低于正常组,但与正常组相比差异无统计学意义.左右两组事件相关电位的P3波潜伏期均延长,P3波幅均降低,均有有统计学意义.神经认知心理学评分与P300有相关性.结论 右侧额叶肿瘤对患者的注意功能损害更严重.P300与注意功能有相关性,但不具有特异性.     

精神分裂症患者健康一级亲属的认知功能研究

目的：探讨精神分裂症患者健康一级亲属的认知功能特点。方法：对72例精神分裂症患者健康一级亲属（研究组）以及与其人口学资料相匹配的31名健康对照（对照组）进行2-back测验、Go／No．go测验、Stroop测验、修订版韦氏成人智力量表的数字符号、连线测验分量表等认知功能的评定。结果：研究组在2-back测验反应时（t=7．749）和错误数（t=2．432）、Go／No·go测验反应时（t=4．147）以及数字符号测试（t=-2．248）成绩上均差于对照组（P〈0．05或P〈0．001）。多发病家系组在2-back测验反应时（t=3．233）、Go／No-go测验反应时（t=2．981）以及数字符号测试（t=2．041）成绩上均差于单发病家系组（P〈0．05或P〈0．01）。结论：精神分裂症患者健康一级亲属存在不同程度的认知功能损害;认知功能损害可能是精神分裂症的遗传易感性指标。     

单相抑郁症患者颅脑CT双侧额叶形态学的研究

目的：探泔单相抑郁症患者颅脑CT双侧额叶形态学变化。方法：对80例单相抑郁症患者进行颅脑CT扣描,计算双侧额叶指数,并与80例正常人进行对照比较。结果：患者组的左额叶指数（24．92±2．64）比正常对照组（23．87±2．25）硅著增大,（P〈0．01）,而右额叶指数差异无显著性（P〉0．05）、患者组左额叶指数与年龄（Beta=0．357．P〈0．01）、病程（Beta=0．289,P〈0．01）呈正相关,右额叶指数与年龄（Beta=0．316,P（0．01）呈正相关,而与病程无显著相关忡（P〉0．05）。结论：与正常人相比,单相抑郁症患者左额叶萎缩,其萎缩程度与病程有关。     

抑郁大鼠模型额叶及海马区Rho激酶表达变化的初步研究

目的：观察抑郁大鼠模型急性期额叶及海马区Rho激酶（ROCK）的表达变化,探讨Rho／ROCK通路是否与抑郁症形成有关。方法：建立Wistar大鼠抑郁症模型;在建模成功后24h迅速断头取前脑,在冰浴上分离出双侧前额叶及海马脑组织,应用Westernblot分别测定大鼠额叶及海马脑组织内ROCKⅠ及ROCKⅡ含量。结果：与正常对照组比,抑郁模型大鼠左侧和右侧前额叶ROCKⅠ表达均显著增高（分别P〈0．01,P〈0．05）,以左侧为著;ROCKⅡ表达亦有显著增高（均P〈0．05）。抑郁模型大鼠左右侧海马区域ROCKI表达显著增高（分NP〈0．05,P〈0．01）,以右侧明显;ROCKⅡ表达亦有显著增高（分别P〈0．05,P〈0．01）。结论：ROCKⅠ及ROCKⅡ可能参与了抑郁症形成的病理过程。     

阴性和阳性症状为主型精神分裂症患者脑部质子波谱与症状相关性

目的：比较阴性和阳性症状为主型精神分裂症患者前额叶和丘脑质子波谱及其与临床症状、执行功能的相关性方法：对61例阴性症状为主型精神分裂症患者（阴性组）和53例阳性症状为主型精神分裂症患者（阳性组）,在入组时应用抗精神病药治疗前与治疗后8周末,采用多体素磁共振质子波谱（1H-MRS）检测前额叶和丘脑N-乙酰基天门冬氨酸（NAA）与肌酸复合物（Cr）,计算NAA/Cr值;采用阳性和阴性症状量表（PANSS）和威斯康星卡片分类测验（WCST）评定临床症状和执行功能;进行两组1H-MRS、PANSS、WCST的比较与相关分析。结果：治疗前阴性组右侧丘脑NAA/Cr值（1.43±0.33）低于阳性组（1.58±0.35）,（t=2.35,P〈0.05）;治疗前阴性组分类数（1.68±0.54）低于阳性组（2.06±0.66）,（t=3.38,P〈0.01）,持续错误数（43.3±11.2）高于阳性组（31.8±9.22）,（t=5.95,P〈0.01）;治疗前阴性组左侧前额叶NAA/Cr值与阴性症状分、持续错误数呈负相关（r=-0.35,P〈0.05）;（r=-0.36,P〈0.01）。治疗前后阴性组左侧前额叶NAA/Cr值变化与阴性症状分变化、持续错误数变化呈负相关（r=-0.30,P〈0.05）;（r=-0.29,P〈0.05）,与分类数变化呈正相关（r=0.31,P〈0.05）。结论：不同亚型精神分裂症患者可能存在不同的神经生物学基础,阴性症状为主型精神分裂症患者左侧前额叶神经元的损害可能是引起阴性症状、执行功能障碍的生物学基础。     

原发性震颤患者的认知功能及抑郁情绪的研究

目的探讨原发性震颤(essential tremor,ET)患者的认知功能和情绪障碍及其相互关系。方法采用简易智能量表(MMSE)、汉语失语症检查法口语表达分测验及阅读分测验、Rey复杂图形测验、修订韦氏成人智力量表中的数字广度分测验、相似性分测验、符号-数字分测验、威斯康星卡片分类测验、连线测验、词语流畅性测验和画钟测验,对40例ET患者和40名年龄、文化程度、利手等相匹配的健康对照进行认知评定。同时,采用汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)测评患者的抑郁情绪,HAMD评分8分为伴有抑郁症状。结果ET组的Rey复杂图形测验(t=6.66,P0.001)、数字广度分测验(顺)(t=3.32,P0.001)、符号-数字分测验(t=4.18,P0.001)、威斯康星卡片分类测验各项(P0.05)、连线测验(t=3.59,P0.001)、词语流畅性测验(t=-3.98,P0.001)和画钟测验(t=-4.18,P0.001)等各项成绩均较正常对照组低;而在汉语失语症检查法口语表达分测验及阅读分测验、相似性测验中两组间得分差异无统计学意义(P0.05);患者组各项认知测验成绩与震颤强度和病程无关(P0.05);52.5%(21/40)ET患者合并抑郁症状,但多为轻度抑郁(71.4%);抑郁症状的发生与年龄有关(2=27.03,P0.001),多出现在50岁以下的患者(85.7%);是否伴有抑郁的ET组之间各项认知测验得分差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论ET患者存在多认知域的功能障碍,尤以执行功能、注意力及记忆受损较为明显;ET患者中抑郁症状的发生率较高。     

儿童额叶肿瘤的执行功能评价

目的探索额叶肿瘤对儿童患者的认知功能影响，确定额叶肿瘤患儿的执行功能损害特点。方法研究对象为45例儿童颅内肿瘤，年龄10～14岁，其中有25例额叶肿瘤，位于左额10例，右额15例；非额叶（颞叶、顶叶、脑室内或颞顶区）20例。所有患者均采用全麻下显微外科手术。术后病理证实：星形细胞瘤13例，室管膜瘤6例，少枝胶质细胞瘤4例，神经细胞瘤2例。运用威斯康星卡片分类测试系统对患者进行临床评价，并与30例同龄正常儿童作对照。结果威斯康星卡片（WCST）分类测试中的完成分类数（categories achieved）和持续性错误（preservative errors）两个指标在额叶肿瘤组和非额叶肿瘤组之间有统计学意义，而左额肿瘤组患者的执行功能损害较右额肿瘤组、非额叶肿瘤组和正常组差异有统计学意义，耐右额肿瘤组与非额叶肿瘤组和正常组没有统计学意义。结论左额叶肿瘤患儿存在明显的执行功能障碍，而右额肿瘤引起损害则不明显。     

遗忘型轻度认知损害的神经影像与神经心理特点

目的 了解aMCI脑结构改变和相关认知损害特点,探讨准确诊断aMCI的神经影像和神经心理生物指标。方法 3-DMRI采集35例aMCI患者和35名健康对照者脑结构信息,LEAP软件计算左右侧和均侧海马、杏仁核和颞角体积,MoCA测评认知功能。结果两组被试年龄、性别差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）,受教育年限差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。aMCI的左、右侧及均侧海马萎缩和右侧颞角扩大（P〈0．05）,MoCA总评分和注意力、重复句子、抽象能力、延迟回忆、定向力等亚项得分减低（P〈0．05）,MoCA与右、均侧海马及右侧杏仁核呈正相关（P〈0．05）。ROC分析显示Mo—cA总评分、左、右及均侧海马、左、右及均侧杏仁核等指标诊断aMCI准确性高（P〈0．01）。单独认知指标MoCA总评分和重复句子（wilks’Lambda=0．299,X^2=80．905,df=2,P〈0．01）区分aMCI和NC的准确性为88．6％,单独脑结构指标均侧海马和杏仁核（wilks’Lambda=0．515,X^244．509,df=2,P〈0．01）的准确性为81．4％,认知和脑结构综合指标MoCA总评分、均侧海马和左侧杏仁核（Wilks’Lambda=0．261,X^2=89．228,df=3,P〈0．01）的准确性为95．7％。结论 aMCI期已出现特异的海马、杏仁核萎缩和弥漫性认知损害,在AD非痴呆期联合应用认知测试和神经影像指标更有助于AD早期准确诊断。     

Hippocampal and prefrontal atrophy in patients with early non-demented Parkinson's disease is related to cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND: Early stage patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) show cognitive impairment in frontal lobe functions and memory tests. Hippocampal atrophy is seen in medicated patients with advanced PD. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether prefrontal or hippocampal atrophy are already present in early stage PD, and whether such atrophy is associated with cognitive impairment. METHODS: Twenty non-medicated, non-demented patients with early stage PD and 22 neurologically healthy age matched controls were studied. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging to study hippocampal and prefrontal atrophy. Atrophy was evaluated by a neuroradiologist using a five point scale. In addition, the patients underwent a neuropsychological test battery sensitive to frontal lobe functions and memory. RESULTS: Patients with PD had atrophy in the right and the left prefrontal cortex. In the right hippocampus, the mean atrophy score was 1.15 in PD and 0.45 in controls. Corresponding figures for the left hippocampus were 1.05 for PD and 0.64 for controls. In PD, the left hippocampus atrophy correlated with verbal memory and prefrontal atrophy correlated with impaired performance in a test measuring vigilance. CONCLUSIONS: Non-medicated, non-demented patients with early stage PD show hippocampal and prefrontal atrophy. Impaired memory is related to hippocampal atrophy, whereas sustained attention is related to prefrontal atrophy.     

Temporal and spatial context memory in patients with focal frontal, temporal lobe, and diencephalic lesions

Patients with focal frontal, temporal lobe, or diencephalic lesions were investigated on measures of temporal (recency) and spatial (position) context memory, after manipulating exposure times to match recognition memory for targets (pictorial stimuli) as closely as possible. Patients with diencephalic lesions from an alcoholic Korsak off syndrome showed significant impairment on the temporal context (recency) task, as did patients with frontal lesions penetrating the dorsolateral frontal cortex, according to MRI (and PET) evidence. Patients with temporal lobe lesions showed only a moderate (non-significant) impairment on this task, and patients with medial frontal lesions, or large frontal lesions not penetrating the dorsolateral cortical margins, performed as well as healthy controls at this task. On the spatial context memory task, patients with lesions in the temporal lobes showed significant impairment, and patients with right temporal lesions performed significantly worse than patients with left temporal lesions. Patients with diencephalic lesions showed only a modest (non-significant) impairment on this task, and the frontal lobe group performed normally. When a group of patients with temporal lobe lesions resulting from herpes encephalitis were examined separately, an identical pattern of results was obtained, the herpes group being significantly impaired on spatial memory and showing a trend towards impairment for temporal context memory. There were strong correlations between anterograde memory quotients and context memory performance (despite the use of an exposure time titration procedure) and a weak association with one frontal/executive task (card-sorting perseverations). It is predicted that correlations between temporal context memory and frontal/executive tasks will be greater in samples of patients all of whom have frontal lesions invading the dorsolateral cortical margin.     

Psychopathology and neuropsychological impairments in deficit and nondeficit schizophrenia of Chinese origin

Deficit schizophrenia is a relatively homogeneous subtype of patients which is considered helpful to explore the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to reexamine the clinical characteristics of deficit (n=30) and nondeficit schizophrenia (n=93) in a Chinese sample and investigate the differences of neurocognitive function among the two subtypes of schizophrenia and the normal controls (n=103). Schizophrenia patients completed the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS). Additionally, all participants completed an abbreviated version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-RC) and a neuropsychological test battery examining the executive functions, visuospatial abilities and explicit memory related to the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobe functions. The deficit group received higher scores than the nondeficit group on the BPRS anergia factor and SANS affective flattening, alogia, avolition-apathy, anhedonia-asociality subscales, but not on the SAPS. Both two schizophrenia subgroups performed more poorly on the WAIS-RC and neuropsychological tests than the normal controls. Moreover, deficit patients performed worse than nondeficit patients on the prorated IQ, the Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting test and Block Design test. The present study replicated symptom profiles in deficit vs. nondeficit schizophrenia in the Chinese sample. Furthermore, this study suggested that deficit schizophrenia is associated with frontal and parietal lobe impairment, and that temporal lobe dysfunction may be a common basis for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia as a whole.     

The relationship of regional frontal hypometabolism to executive function: a resting fluorodeoxyglucose PET study of patients with epilepsy and healthy controls

Executive dysfunction is common in patients with frontal lobe damage and may depend on the location of pathology within the frontal lobes. However, it is unclear how specific brain regions contribute to different aspects of executive functioning. Eighteen patients with frontal lobe epilepsy, 10 patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and 14 controls completed a series of tests that measure a broad range of executive functions. Resting fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans were collected and regional cerebral rates of glucose uptake values were regressed on test scores. Results revealed that frontal lobe metabolic values were strong predictors of executive functioning in patients with epilepsy, but not in healthy controls. However, nonfrontal regions also contributed unique variance on several measures, suggesting that (1) a network of frontal and nonfrontal regions subserve many executive functions and (2) resting hypometabolism can be a useful predictor of executive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy.     

Volumetric analysis of frontal lobe regions in schizophrenia: relation to cognitive function and symptomatology.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of dorsolateral, medial, and orbital regions of the frontal lobe in schizophrenia, and to determine whether their volumetric measurements were related to cognitive function and symptomatology. METHODS: High resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brains of 14 schizophrenic patients and 14 closely matched healthy controls were acquired. Volumes of gray and white matter of the left and right dorsolateral, medial, and orbital prefrontal brain regions were measured. Tests of verbal and visual memory and executive functions were used to assess cognitive function. The SANS and SAPS were used to obtain symptom ratings in patients. RESULTS: Data of 13 schizophrenic patients were analyzed. Patients showed a general, though not significant, decrease in volumes of frontal regions as compared to controls. In patients, but not in controls, smaller left and right prefrontal gray matter volumes were significantly correlated with impaired performance on immediate recall in verbal and visual memory and semantic fluency. Furthermore, in patients, smaller total orbitofrontal gray matter volume was significantly correlated with more severe negative symptomatology (rs = -.76, p = .006). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that in schizophrenia, deficits in verbal and visual memory and semantic fluency and negative symptoms may be related to (subtle) abnormalities in frontal lobe structure.     

Changes in extrafrontal integrity and cognition in frontal lobe epilepsy: a diffusion tensor imaging study

We used diffusion tensor imaging to characterize microstructural changes and their associations with cognition in Chinese patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE). We examined 18 adult patients with FLE and 20 healthy controls. Compared with normal controls, patients with FLE had increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the right frontal lobe and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in both thalami. Patients with FLE also had decreased FA in the right frontal lobe that correlated with patient age at seizure onset and increased MD in the left thalamus that correlated with duration of epilepsy. Patients with FLE performed significantly worse on nearly all cognitive tasks, and there was a positive correlation between Mini-Mental Status Examination scores and FA in the left frontal lobe and the left thalamus. Our results suggest that the thalamus might be an important extrafrontal structure involved in FLE and that a longer duration of epilepsy might result in more abnormalities in the thalamus. Our results also support the hypothesis that the left frontal lobe white matter and the thalamus contribute to cognitive impairment in patients with FLE.     

Gender-specific differences of hypometabolism in mTLE: implication for cognitive impairments

PURPOSE: To determine gender differences of hypometabolism and their implications for cognitive impairment in patients with medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). METHODS: Regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMRGlu) was studied in 42 patients (21 male, 21 female) with either left- or right-sided mTLE (22 left, 20 right) and in 12 gender- and age-matched healthy controls during resting wakefulness and in 12 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Clinical characteristics were balanced across the patient subgroups. All patients were subjected to neuropsychological assessment: 41 patients had histologic changes of definite or probable hippocampal sclerosis. RESULTS: Data analysis based on pixel-by-pixel comparisons and on a laterality index of regions of interest (ROIs) showed significant depressions of the mean rCMRGlu extending beyond the mesiotemporal region and temporolateral cortex to extratemporal regions including the frontoorbital and insular cortex in mTLE patients. Extramesiotemporal hypometabolism prevailed in the male patients. Metabolic asymmetry in temporal and frontal regions was related to performance in the Trail-Making Test and WAIS-R subitems. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed a gender-specific predominance of extramesiotemporal hypometabolism in male patients with mTLE related to abnormalities of temporal and frontal lobe functions.     

Chronic alcoholism and the frontal lobe: which executive functions are imparied?

OBJECTIVE: Over the last decade, various hypotheses have been advanced concerning the cognitive functions affected by chronic alcoholism. The aim of this study was to identify the pattern of executive function impairment in chronic alcoholism, shedding light on possible differences between specific functions related to the frontal lobe. METHODS: Twenty-two male alcoholics and 22 controls, matched for age, educational level and IQ, were enrolled in the study. MMPI and a battery of neuropsychological tests [i.e. digit symbol, trail making test, Stroop test, digit cancellation test, Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), simple and choice reaction times] for assessing frontal lobe functioning were administered. RESULTS: The alcoholics were found to be impaired in a wide range of executive domains, with the exception of the Stroop test, which nevertheless showed a trend towards statistically significant differences between patients and controls. CONCLUSION: With the exception of aggression - our subjects did not have high aggression scale scores - the 'frontal lobe hypothesis', according to which alcoholic patients are impaired on function tests related to the frontal lobe, was therefore confirmed in our sample.