Neural Correlates of the Clock Drawing Test Performance in Alzheimer’s Disease: A FDG-PET Study

Abstract

Background/Aim: This study aimed to identify the functional neuroanatomical correlates of impaired clock drawing test (CDT) performance in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: The CDT was administered to 71 patients with AD, and regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMglc) was measured by positron emission tomography (PET). Correlations between CDT scores and rCMglc were examined on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results: Significant positive correlations were found between CDT performance and rCMglc in the right inferior parietal lobule and right posterior cingulate cortex. Conclusion: These results provide the first PET evidence that poor CDT performance in patients with AD is closely related to the functional decline in the right hemisphere, especially the right parietal cortex.

Side and Type of Initial Motor Symptom Influences Visuospatial Functioning in Parkinson's Disease

“…These group differences were observed when clocks were scored according to the Rouleau scoring system [41], but were not observed with other methods, reflecting the sensitivity of this system to spatial arrangements among clock features. This finding accords with those of Lee and colleagues [44] and Matsuoka and colleagues [45] in Alzheimer’s disease, who reported that Rouleau scores correlated more strongly than did other-system scores with right-parietal structure (i.e. grey matter volume) and function (i.e.…”

Association between cerebral metabolism and Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test performance in Alzheimer's disease

“…One of the better researched visuoconstructional tasks in AD has been clock drawing. Results of studies addressing clock drawing and AD have yielded somewhat discrepant results, though associations with right parietal (Lee et al, 2008) and right temporal cortex (Cahn-Weiner et al, 1999) have been documented, consistent with the present findings using the ROCF. Clock drawing studies have also implicated the involvement of left temporal regions (Nagahama, Okina, Suzuki, Nabatame, & Matsuda, 2005; Thomann, Toro, Dos Santos, Essig, & Schroder, 2008; Ueda et al, 2002), which was not observed in the present study.…”

Cognitive and connectome properties detectable through individual differences in graphomotor organization

“…For example, anchorers compared to non-anchorers had higher local efficiency for the left medial OFC, the right rostral ACC and the right SFG as well as the left temporal gyrus that includes Heschl's gyrus. In general terms, several of these regions were hypothesized to be involved in CDT performance and graphomotor organization more specifically based on previous research in normal and pathological aging (Ino, et al, 2003; Lee, et al, 2008; Matsuoka, et al, 2011; Thomann, Toro, Dos Santos, Essig, & Schroder, 2008; Tranel, et al, 2008). We did not, however, find support for parietal involvement in anchoring behavior; this may be due, in part, to the fact that our local efficiency results may represent a relative advantage for anchorers with respect to the connectivity of neurocircuits responsible for the activation, control, and regulation of visually guided motor acts (Izquierdo, Suda, & Murray, 2004; Koechlin, Ody, & Kouneiher, 2003).…”

“…We further hypothesize that these same individuals will display better executive functioning using independent test measures when compared to ‘non-anchorers’. Given that prefrontal, temporal and parietal regions have been implicated in CDT performance including the organization of spatial information such as the layout of numbers (Ino, Asada, Ito, Kimura, & Fukuyama, 2003; Lee, et al, 2008; Matsuoka, et al, 2011; Parks, et al, 2010; Samton, et al, 2005; Tranel, et al, 2008), we hypothesize that individuals who organize their CDT output (versus those who do not) will also show more efficient neural networks associated with these brain regions.…”