Towards validation of a new computerised test of goal neglect: preliminary evidence from clinical and neuroimaging pilot studies

Cullen, B. , Brennan, D., Manly, T. and Evans, J. J. (2016) Towards validation of a new computerised test of goal neglect: preliminary evidence from clinical and neuroimaging pilot studies. PLoS ONE, 11(1), e0148127. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148127) (PMID:26824704) (PMCID:PMC4732681)

Abstract

Objective: Goal neglect is a significant problem following brain injury, and is a target for rehabilitation. It is not yet known how neural activation might change to reflect rehabilitation gains. We developed a computerised multiple elements test (CMET), suitable for use in neuroimaging paradigms. Design: Pilot correlational study and event-related fMRI study. Methods: In Study 1, 18 adults with acquired brain injury were assessed using the CMET, other tests of goal neglect (Hotel Test; Modified Six Elements Test) and tests of reasoning. In Study 2, 12 healthy adults underwent fMRI, during which the CMET was administered under two conditions: self-generated switching and experimenter-prompted switching. Results: Among the clinical sample, CMET performance was positively correlated with both the Hotel Test (r = 0.675, p = 0.003) and the Modified Six Elements Test (r = 0.568, p = 0.014), but not with other clinical or demographic measures. In the healthy sample, fMRI demonstrated significant activation in rostro-lateral prefrontal cortex in the self-generated condition compared with the prompted condition (peak 40, 44, 4; ZE = 4.25, p(FWEcorr) = 0.026). Conclusions: These pilot studies provide preliminary evidence towards the validation of the CMET as a measure of goal neglect. Future studies will aim to further establish its psychometric properties, and determine optimum pre- and post-rehabilitation fMRI paradigms.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by grants from the Glasgow Neurosciences Foundation (reference 2006/06) (BC, DB, JJE) and the West of Scotland R&D Consortium (reference 04CP17) (JJE). BC is supported by funding awarded to JJE by The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Evans, Professor Jonathan and Cullen, Dr Breda and Brennan, Dr David
• Authors: Cullen, B., Brennan, D., Manly, T., and Evans, J. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: PLoS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN (Online): 1932-6203
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Cullen et al.
• First Published: First published PLoS One 11(1):e0148127
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License