title: Quantitative electroencephalographic and neuropsychological investigation of an alternative measure of frontal lobe executive functions: the Figure Trail Making Test.
abstract: The most frequently used measures of executive functioning are either sensitive to left frontal lobe functioning or bilateral frontal functioning. Relatively little is known about right frontal lobe contributions to executive functioning given the paucity of measures sensitive to right frontal functioning. The present investigation reports the development and initial validation of a new measure designed to be sensitive to right frontal lobe functioning, the Figure Trail Making Test (FTMT). The FTMT, the classic Trial Making Test, and the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT) were administered to 42 right-handed men. The results indicated a significant relationship between the FTMT and both the TMT and the RFFT. Performance on the FTMT was also related to high beta EEG over the right frontal lobe. Thus, the FTMT appears to be an equivalent measure of executive functioning that may be sensitive to right frontal lobe functioning. Applications for use in frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other patient populations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Middle Tennessee State University, 1500 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132, USA.|University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.|Laboratorio LENITEM, IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drago
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Middle Tennessee State University, 1500 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132, USA.
authors.forename: Brad J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Patti Kelly
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA. dwh@vt.edu.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Harrison
keywords: Behavioral speed; Designs; Effortful control; Executive functioning; Frontal lobes; Neuropsychological assessment; Nonverbal; Regulatory control; Sequencing; Trail making test