Trail Making Test Performance Using a Touch-Sensitive Tablet: Behavioral Kinematics and Electroencephalography

• Main Authors: Churchill, N.W (Author), Graham, S.J (Author), Lin, F.-H (Author), Lin, Z. (Author), MacIntosh, B.J (Author), Schweizer, T.A (Author), Tam, F. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
• Subjects: adult; Article; behavioral kinematics; cognition; computerized tablet; controlled study; EEG; electroencephalography; female; functional magnetic resonance imaging; human; human experiment; kinematics; male; mathematical analysis; neuropsychological tests; normal human; partial least squares; performance measurement system; secondary per link; speed of linking movement; time; time-frequency analysis; trail making test; Trail Making Test; velocity
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 The Trail Making Test (TMT) is widely used to probe brain function and is performed with pen and paper, involving Parts A (linking numbers) and B (alternating between linking numbers and letters). The relationship between TMT performance and the underlying brain activity remains to be characterized in detail. Accordingly, sixteen healthy young adults performed the TMT using a touch-sensitive tablet to capture enhanced performance metrics, such as the speed of linking movements, during simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG). Linking and non-linking periods were derived as estimates of the time spent executing and preparing movements, respectively. The seconds per link (SPL) was also used to quantify TMT performance. A strong effect of TMT Part A and B was observed on the SPL value as expected (Part B showing increased SPL value); whereas the EEG results indicated robust effects of linking and non-linking periods in multiple frequency bands, and effects consistent with the underlying cognitive demands of the test. © Copyright © 2021 Lin, Tam, Churchill, Lin, MacIntosh, Schweizer and Graham.