Neurosurgical resection of frontal lobe tumors poses specific challenges to the patients. Even when lesions involve the so-called “non-eloquent” areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, neurosurgery can still affect critical functions, because the prefrontal regions are essential for executive functions and other complex cognitive processes. The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature and quantitatively assess the impact of frontal lobe tumor resection on patients’ cognitive functioning.

In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, we synthesized data from 50 studies that included pre- and post-neurosurgery neuropsychological assessments. In addition, we conducted a meta-analysis of a subset of studies (n = 15) including sufficient data to quantitatively evaluate the cognitive effects of frontal lobe tumor resections.

We found that cognitive performance, after neurosurgery, was not significantly changed compared to pre-neurosurgery performance. We also identified several limitations in the literature, including variability in neuropsychological assessment protocols, differences in follow-up time points, inconsistent reporting of baseline cognitive functioning, and underpowered sample sizes.

In future studies, researchers should adopt standardized, comprehensive assessments, with well-powered cohorts and long-term follow-ups, to better characterize post-neurosurgical cognitive outcomes, including those regarding “non-eloquent” frontal regions. A multidisciplinary and harmonized approach remains crucial for understanding the cognitive impact of frontal lobe tumor neurosurgery and for improving patient care.

Studies indicate that alterations in gut microbiota composition (GMC) during the first 1,000 days of life are associated with neurodevelopment and further behavioral development. However, research on the associations between GMC and executive functions (EFs) in childhood is scarce. This study aims to improve the understanding of the biological processes underlying behavioral development by exploring the associations between GMC and EFs early in life.

Study population (n = 373) is part of the longitudinal FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. GMC was analyzed using infant and toddler stool sample 16S rRNA sequencing and targeted and untargeted metabolomic assays. EF was assessed using the Spin the Pots and Snack Delay tasks at 2.5 years and the Spin the Pots task, Delay of Gratification task, EF Touch battery and BRIEF-2 questionnaire at 5 years.

Alpha diversity in infancy was negatively associated with preschool EF. Additionally, EFs differed between microbial groups based on dominant genera. Bacterial genera abundances were related to some EFs, but no associations were found between microbial metabolites and EF. This study is among the first to investigate associations between GMC and EF in childhood, a crucial developmental stage characterized by significant changes in both the brain and microbiota.

The Rey–Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) test is widely used to assess constructional praxis. Qualitative scoring methods, such as the Boston Qualitative Scoring System (BQSS), enable the detection of alterations in spatial organization, planning, and executive control during copying performance. While alterations in constructional abilities have been previously reported in Parkinson’s disease (PD), the possible presence of subtle qualitative modifications in PD patients without cognitive impairment (PD-CU) and their relationship with the cognitive functioning is still to be elucidated. This study evaluates differences in copying strategies and error patterns in PD patients with (PD-MCI) or without (PD-CU) mild cognitive impairment, assessing the link with the cognitive profile.

Seventy PD patients and 56 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All participants underwent a neuropsychological assessment, including the ROCF. Their performance was assessed by standard quantitative scoring and qualitative rating scales (BQSS). Statistical analyses compared BQSS performance between groups and examined associations between qualitative visuo-constructional features and other cognitive domains.

Both PD-MCI and PD-CU groups showed qualitative alterations compared to HC, associated with executive dysfunctions. Qualitatively, PD-CU patients showed lower scores in neatness and planning measures compared to HC, the latter particularly associated with executive alterations. Notably, patients reporting a left or right asymmetric copy were characterized by different cognitive profiles.

The here-presented results support the importance of qualitative assessment in identifying early cognitive impairments in PD patients and suggest that BQSS parameters (i.e., planning) may offer complementary insights to standard quantitative assessments in detecting subthreshold executive impairments not yet captured by conventional tests.

Thai researchers developed a new self-report measure of executive functions for adolescents based on Diamond’s framework (the Behavioral Inventory Measure of Executive Functions [BIMEFs]). How it was developed, its psychometric properties, and norms by sex and age are reported here.

An independent panel of experts evaluated the content validity of BIMEFs. Reliability was checked using Cronbach’s alpha with a sample of 45 secondary students. 1,865 students, ages 12 – 18 years (65% female) from across Thailand participated in the normative study.

The BIMEFs consists of 42 items that assess inhibitory control (IC), working memory (WM), and cognitive flexibility (CF), including eight subcomponents. For all items, the index of item-objective congruence was >0.5 and Cronbach’s alpha was >0.7. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed the adjusted goodness of fit index to be 0.9. The strongest sex difference was for IC. Students of 13 years scored lower on EFs overall, IC, WM, CF, and all subcomponents than older students. Self-control, verbal working memory, and being able to change perspectives showed the most pronounced differences by age.

The BIMEFs, which is designed to be culturally-appropriate for Thailand and cross-culturally generally, is the first EF questionnaire based on Diamond’s framework. It shows good psychometric properties and sensitivity to age and sex differences. It indicates that IC development, at least in Thailand, plateaus earlier than WM and CF and that CF shows a more protracted development during adolescence than IC or WM.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether military occupations with repetitive exposure to low-level blast (i.e., breachers and snipers) display poorer neurocognitive status compared to military controls without prior occupational engagement as breachers and/or snipers, and whether that effect is mediated by self-reported mental health symptoms.

With data collected from Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) breachers and snipers and sex- and age-matched CAF controls (n = 112), mental health was assessed using the PCL-5 (PTSD) and the Brief Symptoms Inventory, and neurocognitive function based on a set of computerized tasks (i.e., four-choice reaction time task, delayed matching-to-sample, n-back, Stroop). Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) were created to establish a causal framework describing the potential effect of occupation on neurocognitive function while considering mental health. Factor analysis modeling was used to establish the latent construct of neurocognitive function, which was then incorporated into student-t models for effect estimation, following assumptions derived from causal inference principles.

Our results demonstrated that it is snipers specifically who displayed lower neurocognitive performance compared to breachers and controls. Critically, this effect was not mediated by mental health status. In fact, mental health was generally better in both breachers and snipers when compared to controls.

When the focus is on occupations with repetitive exposure to low-level blast, the snipers in particular are impacted most in terms of neurocognitive function. We speculate that this might be due to additional impact of recoil forces exacerbating the effect of blast overpressure on the nervous system.

Difficulties in executive functions (EFs) and internalizing and externalizing problems are prospectively related. However, it remains unclear whether the bidirectional relations between specific EF components and internalizing and externalizing problems at the within-person level vary across developmental stages in childhood and early adolescence.

This study utilized data from seven waves of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), following a nationally representative sample of 15,055 children (mean age at baseline = 5.63 years, SD = 0.37; age range = 4.02–7.83) from kindergarten through fifth grade. Internalizing and externalizing problems and inhibitory control were assessed using teacher-reported measures, while working memory and cognitive flexibility were evaluated using standardized cognitive tasks. Data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, adjusting for the complex sampling design.

Working memory negatively predicted internalizing problems from kindergarten to first grade, with no significant link to externalizing problems. Cognitive flexibility showed limited effects, with only spring kindergarten externalizing problems predicting lower cognitive flexibility in first grade. Inhibitory control negatively predicted internalizing problems in early childhood, while internalizing problems positively predicted inhibitory control during the kindergarten-to-first-grade transition. Externalizing problems consistently reduced inhibitory control over time. Notably, inhibitory control negatively predicted externalizing problems until third grade but positively predicted them from third to fourth grade.

The findings suggest that while certain EFs can protect against internalizing and externalizing problems in early childhood, these symptoms may also influence EF development, with these interactions evolving as children transition into adolescence.

Executive dysfunction is prevalent in early stroke and can predict long-term outcomes. Impairments can be subtle and undetected in cognitive stroke screens. To better assess executive functions, this study introduced a novel sentence completion test, which assesses multiple executive processes in <5 minutes (Brief Executive Language Screen – Sentence Completion; BELS-SC). The aim was to determine construct, convergent and divergent validity, sensitivity and specificity of the BELS-SC, and to explore differences between left and right hemisphere stroke patients (LHS and RHS, respectively) on the BELS-SC and standard executive function tests.

Eighty-eight acute/early sub-acute stroke patients and 116 age-matched healthy controls were included.

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) suggested four to five factors of the BELS-SC: Initiation, Selection, Inhibition (with strategy loading on Inhibition), Inhibition Response Time, and Semantic Retrieval Response Time. The BELS-SC had good sensitivity (.84) but poorer specificity (.66) differentiating controls and stroke, and good sensitivity (.83) and specificity (.80) differentiating executive function impaired versus executive function intact groups. BELS-SC Initiation and Inhibition subtests demonstrated convergent and divergent validity with corresponding Hayling subtests. LHS and RHS showed impairment across initiation, selection, inhibition and strategy; however, greatest deficits were shown by RHS on Inhibition items requiring suppression of one dominant response. More patients were impaired on BELS-SC than other executive function tests.

The BELS-SC demonstrated convergent, divergent, and construct validity, good sensitivity and specificity, taps multiple executive processes, and provides insight into strategy. Use in early stroke may aid in targeted and timely cognitive rehabilitation.