title: Mental programming after frontal lobe lesions: results on digit symbol performance with self-selected goals.
abstract: The aim of this study was to demonstrate that the inability to set adequate sub-goals in a cognitive task is a sensitive indicator of programming deficit after frontal lobe lesion. Sixty-one patients with focal cerebral lesions and 25 control subjects were studied with a modified Digit Symbol task, in which the score depended on the adequacy of the sub-goals set by the subject. This score was compared to that on the standard condition, in which the subject was requested to work as quickly as possible without self-selected goals. The results confirmed the prediction that patients with anterior lesions set less adequate sub-goals than patients with posterior lesions and, unlike the latter patients, have a more pronounced deficit on the performance with self-selected goals than on the standard condition. In particular patients with left frontal lobe lesions underestimated their capabilities in relation to task requirements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vilkki
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D004328:Drive; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005910:Glioma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D009042:Motivation; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology