A neurocognitive screening of the executive functions in Gambling Disorder: a preliminary study

This study investigated the potential of a new executive functions assessment battery developed\r\nfor evaluating cognitive-neuropsychological correlates in addictions, and its remote administration\r\nin a sample of patients with gambling disorder (GD). The Battery for Executive Functions in the\r\nAddiction (BFE-A) comprises five neuropsychological tests aimed at measuring verbal short- and\r\nlong-term memory, working memory, verbal and non-verbal cognitive flexibility, and focused attention\r\n- and a computerized Go/No-Go task modified with addiction-related stimuli to measure\r\ninhibitory control. Additionally, it includes a computerized Go/No Go task modified with addictionrelated\r\nstimuli to measure inhibitory control. The study compared results from an experimental sample of 13 GD-diagnosed patients recruited from ULSS 2 Marca Trevigiana, Servizio Dipendenze,\r\nTreviso, Italy, with a control sample of 13 healthy subjects. In the experimental sample, higher errors\r\nin verbal memory test repetition and lower word production in the verbal cognitive flexibility test\r\nwere observed compared to controls. In the digitized Go/No Go task, GD reaction times were significantly\r\nlonger than controls, particularly for neutral and addiction-related stimuli. Furthermore,\r\nhigher impulsivity scores were found in the experimental sample compared to controls. Despite\r\nthe exploratory nature of this study, the BFE-A demonstrated sensitivity in detecting alterations in\r\nmemory and attentional bias observed in the inhibitory control task, alongside increased impulsivity,\r\ncharacterizing the executive deficits observed in GD. These findings underscore the potential of\r\nthe digital battery as a new remote neurocognitive screening tool, valid and easy to apply, capable\r\nof providing relevant information for planning structured rehabilitation interventions