Cognitive Slowing in Gulf War Illness Predicts Executive Network Hyperconnectivity: Study in a Population-Representative Sample

Cognitive slowing is a prevalent symptom observed in Gulf War Illness (GWI). The present study assessed the extent to which functional connectivity between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and other task-relevant brain regions was predictive of GWI-related cognitive slowing. GWI patients (n =...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Turner, Monroe P., Hubbard, Nicholas A., Himes, Lyndahl M., Faghihahmadabadi, Shawheen, Hutchison, Joanna L., Bennett, Ilana J., Motes, Michael A., Haley, Robert W., Rypma, Bart
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2016
Materias:
Regular Article
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5030369/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27672557
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2016.08.022
Descripción
Sumario:Cognitive slowing is a prevalent symptom observed in Gulf War Illness (GWI). The present study assessed the extent to which functional connectivity between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and other task-relevant brain regions was predictive of GWI-related cognitive slowing. GWI patients (n = 54) and healthy veteran controls (n = 29) were assessed on performance of a processing speed task (the Digit Symbol Substitution Task; DSST) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). GWI patients were slower on the DSST relative to controls. Bilateral DLPFC connectivity with task-relevant nodes was altered in GWI patients compared to healthy controls during DSST performance. Moreover, hyperconnectivity in these networks predicted GWI-related increases in reaction time on the DSST, whereas hypoconnectivity did not. These results suggest that GWI-related cognitive slowing reflects reduced efficiency in cortical networks.

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