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Dion C, Tanner JJ, Formanski EM, Davoudi A, Rodriguez K, Wiggins ME, Amin M, Penney D, Davis R, Heilman KM, Garvan C, Libon DJ, Price CC. The functional connectivity and neuropsychology underlying mental planning operations: data from the digital clock drawing test. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:868500. [PMID: 36204547 PMCID: PMC9530582 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.868500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the construct of mental planning by quantifying digital clock drawing digit placement accuracy in command and copy conditions, and by investigating its underlying neuropsychological correlates and functional connectivity. We hypothesized greater digit misplacement would associate with attention, abstract reasoning, and visuospatial function, as well as functional connectivity from a major source of acetylcholine throughout the brain: the basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM). Participants (n = 201) included non-demented older adults who completed all metrics within 24 h of one another. A participant subset met research criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 28) and was compared to non-MCI participants on digit misplacement accuracy and expected functional connectivity differences. Digit misplacement and a comparison dissociate variable of total completion time were acquired for command and copy conditions. a priori fMRI seeds were the bilateral BNM. Command digit misplacement is negatively associated with semantics, visuospatial, visuoconstructional, and reasoning (p's < 0.01) and negatively associated with connectivity from the BNM to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; p = 0.001). Individuals with MCI had more misplacement and less BNM-ACC connectivity (p = 0.007). Total completion time involved posterior and cerebellar associations only. Findings suggest clock drawing digit placement accuracy may be a unique metric of mental planning and provide insight into neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Dion
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Jared J Tanner
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Erin M Formanski
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Anis Davoudi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Katie Rodriguez
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Margaret E Wiggins
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Manish Amin
- Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Dana Penney
- Department of Neurology, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, United States
| | - Randall Davis
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Kenneth M Heilman
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, & North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Cynthia Garvan
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - David J Libon
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, United States
| | - Catherine C Price
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, United States
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