Deficit of preparatory attention in frontotemporal dementia

Brain and Cognition
Eric SiéroffDavid LaBerge

Abstract

We studied preparatory attention in patients suffering from frontotemporal dementia in the beginning stages of the disease, using an experimental test developed by LaBerge, Auclair, and Siéroff (2000). In this experimental test, a distracter can appear while subjects have to prepare to respond to a simple target. The probability that a distracter can appear in a trial is varied across three blocks. Normal controls show an increase of response times to targets (slope) as a function of the distracter probability, preparatory attention to the target is reduced by the increase of the distracter probability. Patients suffering from frontotemporal dementia show a slope of response times which is more than twice as large as the slope obtained by their matched controls. Such an abnormal increase of response times to targets is interpreted as a deficit in preparatory attention. Patients also show more omissions than controls. We suggest that this deficit in preparatory attention is related to the frontal lesion presented by the patients and can result in higher distractibility, a symptom frequently encountered in these patients.

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Citations

Jun 1, 2005·Brain Research. Brain Research Reviews·David LaBerge
Apr 8, 2014·Brain and Cognition·Laura Gabriela Fernández, Eric Siéroff
Feb 22, 2008·Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·Sabine GrimmLeon Y Deouell
Sep 13, 2005·Neuropsychologia·L AuclairSiéroff Eric
Nov 12, 2013·Consciousness and Cognition·David LaBerge, Ray Kasevich
May 23, 2007·Human Molecular Genetics·Sarah L LambourneLawrence S Wilkinson

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