title: Phasic and tonic alerting in mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary study.
abstract: In this preliminary study we assessed the functioning of the different attentional networks in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, taking as theoretical framework the Posner's cognitive neuroscience approach. Two groups of participants were tested in a single short experiment: 20 MCI patients (6 amnestic, 6 non-amnestic and 8 multiple-domain) and 18 healthy matched controls (HC). For attentional assessment we used a version of the Attention Network Test (the ANTI-V) that provided not only a score of the orienting, the executive, and the alerting networks and their interactions, but also an independent measure of vigilance (tonic alerting). The results showed that all subtypes of MCI patients exhibited a selective impairment in the tonic component of alerting, as indexed by a decrease in the d' sensitivity index, and their performance in executive network increased up to the HC group level when phasic alerting was provided by a warning tone. Our findings suggest that a core attentional deficit, especially the endogenous component of alerting, may significantly contribute to the behavioral and cognitive deficits associated with MCI.
authors.affiliation: Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Miketelegi, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Demencias, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Salvadora
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manzanares
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Campoy
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Demencias, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antúnez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: lfuentes@um.es.
authors.forename: Luis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Attention Network Test; Mild cognitive impairment; Sensitivity; Tonic alerting; Vigilance