Executive functions in patients with bilateral and unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Audiology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Peripheral vestibular dysfunction (PVD) is increasingly linked to nonspatial cognitive deficits, specifically executive impairments.
• Previous research on executive functions in PVD patients has yielded conflicting results due to limited scope and confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively assess executive functions in a large cohort of patients with various forms of PVD compared to healthy controls.
• To identify specific executive function deficits associated with different types of PVD and explore potential influencing factors.

Main Methods:

• A large sample of 83 PVD patients (bilateral, chronic unilateral, acute unilateral) underwent a comprehensive executive test battery.
• Pairwise matching of patients and controls based on age, sex, and education ensured comparability.
• Validated neuropsychological tests were used to assess basic and complex executive functions.

Main Results:

• Patients with bilateral PVD demonstrated significant deficits in verbal initiation and working memory span compared to controls.
• Patients with chronic unilateral PVD showed no significant executive function impairments.
• Acute unilateral PVD patients exhibited temporary deficits in verbal initiation and working memory span, which diminished after statistical correction.

Conclusions:

• Bilateral PVD is associated with broader neurocognitive deficits beyond spatial processing, impacting executive functions like verbal initiation and working memory.
• These findings underscore the importance of considering cognitive screening and support for PVD patients.
• Multidisciplinary teams should be aware of these executive impairments for improved diagnosis and treatment of PVD.