Exploring the Association Between Overstay Fixation During an Electronic Trail Making Test and Cognitive Functional...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability.
• Cognitive impairment is common after stroke, affecting functional independence.
• Gaze behavior during cognitive tasks may reveal underlying neurological deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between "overstay fixations" during the Trail Making Test (TMT) and cognitive functional independence in mild stroke patients.
• To compare the predictive value of electronic TMT with paper-based TMT for cognitive outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving hospitalized mild stroke patients and healthy adults.
• Participants performed an electronic version of the TMT, with overstay fixations and completion time recorded.
• Cognitive function was assessed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and paper-based TMT.

Main Results:

• Mild stroke patients exhibited significantly more overstay fixations as TMT difficulty increased.
• Overstay fixations on the electronic TMT correlated negatively with FIM scores for Comprehension and Memory.
• The electronic TMT, including overstay fixations, showed stronger associations with Comprehension and Memory scores than the paper-based TMT.

Conclusions:

• Overstay fixations during the electronic TMT are associated with specific cognitive impairments (Comprehension, Memory) in mild stroke.
• This gaze behavior may serve as a sensitive indicator of cognitive functional independence post-stroke.
• The electronic TMT offers a more nuanced assessment of cognitive function compared to traditional methods.