Subjective executive dysfunction in patients with primary brain tumors and their informants: relationships with neurocognitive, psychological, and daily functioning.
Sarah Ellen Braun, Autumn Lanoye, Farah J Aslanzadeh and 1 others
PMID 34874214WHAT IT FOUND
Subjective executive dysfunction in brain tumor patients tracked closely with psychological distress and daily independence, but not with objective cognitive test scores.
Informant reports matched patient reports on distress but diverged on functional tasks like financial management.
Key findings
01Patient and informant reports on executive function were significantly correlated and showed no difference between groups, suggesting preserved insight.
02Neither patient nor informant reports of executive dysfunction differed between cognitively impaired and intact patients, despite objective test results.
03Psychological distress was associated with higher reported executive dysfunction in both patient and informant reports, particularly in metacognition.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The informant sample was small (39 dyads), limiting statistical power for informant-based analyses. The study was retrospective, so details on the relationship between patient and informant were unavailable. IADL dependence was assessed via clinical interview rather than a standardized ecological measure. The study did not control for tumor type or size due to heterogeneity and power constraints.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high scores on subjective executive function questionnaires indicate objective cognitive impairment. In this study, patient and informant reports did not differ between cognitively impaired and intact patients, suggesting these measures reflect psychological distress and functional challenges rather than neuropsychological deficits.