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Pretreatment Differences in Intraindividual Variability in Reaction Time between Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Healthy Controls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2016

Christie Yao Open the ORCID record for Christie Yao [Opens in a new window] ,
Jill B. Rich ,
Ian F. Tannock ,
Bostjan Seruga ,
Kattleya Tirona  and
Lori J. Bernstein
Christie Yao
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jill B. Rich
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ian F. Tannock
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Bostjan Seruga
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kattleya Tirona
Affiliation:
Department of Supportive Care, Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lori J. Bernstein*
Affiliation:
Department of Supportive Care, Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Lori Bernstein, 585 University Avenue, B PMB 146, Toronto General Hospital- ELLICSR, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4. E-mail: Lori.bernstein@uhn.ca
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Abstract

Objectives: Chemotherapy has adverse effects on cognitive performance in women treated for breast cancer, but less is known about the period before chemotherapy. Studies have focused on mean level of performance, yet there is increasing recognition that variability in performance within an individual is also an important behavioral indicator of cognitive functioning and underlying neural integrity. Methods: We examined intraindividual variability (IIV) before chemotherapy and surgery in women diagnosed with breast cancer (n=31), and a healthy control group matched on age and education (n=25). IIV was calculated across trials of a computerized Stroop task, including an examination of the slowest and fastest trials of reaction time (RT) responses. Results: The groups were equivalent on overall accuracy and speed, and participants in both groups were less accurate and slower on incongruent trials compared with congruent trials. However, women with breast cancer became more variable with increased task difficulty relative to healthy controls. Among the slowest RT responses, women with breast cancer were significantly more variable than healthy controls on incongruent trials. This suggests that a specific variability-producing process (e.g., attentional lapses) occurs in task conditions that require executive control (e.g., incongruent trials). Conclusions: Results are consistent with other evidence of executive dysfunction among women treated for breast cancer. These findings highlight the importance of pretreatment assessment and show that variability in performance provides information about cognition that measures of central tendency do not. (JINS, 2016, 23, 1–10)

Keywords

Breast neoplasmsNeoadjuvant therapyCognitionAttentionExecutive functionFrontal lobes
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , May 2016 , pp. 530 - 539
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2016 

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