Barceló F
Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
Span J Psychol. 2001 May;4(1):79-100. doi: 10.1017/s1138741600005680.
This review describes a research program aimed at evaluating the validity and specificity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), one of the most widely used tests of prefrontal function in clinical and experimental neuropsychology. In spite of its extensive use, voices of caution have arisen against the use of WCST scores as direct markers of prefrontal damage or dysfunction. Adopting a cognitive neuroscience approach, the present research program integrates behavioral, physiological, and anatomical information to investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms behind WCST performance. The results show that WCST performance evokes conspicuous physiological changes over frontal as well as posterior brain regions. Moreover, WCST scores confound very heterogeneous cognitive and neural processes. This confounding effect may have led many authors to overlook the relative importance of certain dysfunctional states such as those indexed by random errors. These findings strongly suggest that WCST scores cannot be regarded as valid nor specific markers of prefrontal lobe function. However, they do provide some relevant clues to update our current knowledge about prefrontal function. In the long run, the integrative approach of cognitive neuroscience may help us design and develop more valid and sensitive tools for neuropsychological assessment.
这篇综述描述了一个研究项目，旨在评估威斯康星卡片分类测验（WCST）的有效性和特异性，该测验是临床和实验神经心理学中最广泛使用的前额叶功能测验之一。尽管它被广泛应用，但已经有人对将WCST分数作为前额叶损伤或功能障碍的直接指标提出了警告。本研究项目采用认知神经科学方法，整合行为、生理和解剖学信息，以探究WCST表现背后的认知和神经机制。结果表明，WCST表现会引起额叶以及后脑区域明显的生理变化。此外，WCST分数混淆了非常不同的认知和神经过程。这种混淆效应可能导致许多作者忽视了某些功能失调状态的相对重要性，比如那些由随机误差所指示的状态。这些发现强烈表明，WCST分数不能被视为前额叶功能的有效或特异性指标。然而，它们确实提供了一些相关线索，以更新我们目前关于前额叶功能的知识。从长远来看，认知神经科学的整合方法可能有助于我们设计和开发更有效、更敏感的神经心理学评估工具。
