title: Dysexecutive syndrome:  a specific pattern of cognitive impairment in systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective-tissue disorder characterized by microvascular damage and tissue fibrosis. Although overt nervous system involvement is unusual in SSc, imaging studies have shown cerebral hypoperfusion. We evaluated cognitive functions in patients with SSc who had no history of neurological involvement, to seek cognitive impairment caused by the suggested cerebral hypoperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery on 31 patients with SSc and on 2 groups of age-adjusted, sex-adjusted, and education-adjusted controls: 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 20 healthy volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with SSc scored significantly worse on most of the measures of executive function than the 2 control groups (P<0.05). However, both patient groups did worse than the healthy controls on measures of attention and memory (P<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that patients with SSc have a specific pattern of cognitive impairment: the dysexecutive syndrome. Attentional and memory problems, however, may arise from other confounders such as disease duration and chronic medication use. SSc may be a rare cause of vascular cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Selamicesme/Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Neslihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Aynur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mollahasanoglu
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gurvit
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: Nevsun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inanc
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yavuz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult