Assessment of executive functions for patients with chronic renal failure
This study is part of a current trend of the neuropsychological research of evaluation of cognitive functions associated with conditions of diffused affliction. We have assessed patients with chronic renal failure. This medical condition may lead to a global deterioration of all cognitive systems by affecting the nervous cell at structural and/or functional levels. These mechanisms include cerebrovascular disease, uraemic encephalopathy, metabolic dysregulation, side effects of the hemodialysis treatment and direct effects of kidney disease that may link chronic kidney disease with impaired executive function (Kurella et al., 2005; Lee et al., 2011; Pereira, Weir, Scott & Sarnak, 2005, Pereira et al., 2007; Yaffe et al., 2010). We found that patients with chronic renal failure show a slower processing of new information as a main executive difficulty, but less impairment occurs in the area of mental flexibility and verbal fluency. Patients are able to manage new life situations (planning, decision making), even if they have a higher latency time and a significantly lower accuracy.
executive functions; chronic renal failure; cognitive deficits; neuropsychology; verbal fluency; mental flexibility.
Adina Karner Huțuleac – Al. I. Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences E-mail: adinakarner@yahoo.com
