The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 37 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
An fMRI study of the Trail Making Test
Abstract
This study investigated the cerebral correlates of the Trail Making Test (TMT), used commonly as a measure of frontal lobe function. Such work sheds additional light on the known shortcomings of the TMT as a localizing instrument, as indicated, for example, by studies of patients with focal brain lesions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record brain activity while participants performed the TMT using a custom-built, fiber-optic fMRI-compatible writing device, the "virtual stylus". Unlike in a previous fMRI study that used a verbal adaptation of the TMT, the virtual stylus enabled a closer depiction of the brain regions engaged by the actual paper-and-pencil task. Twelve, right-handed healthy young adults participated. In Part A of the task, participants were required to link in ascending order numbers (1-2-3 ...) that were randomly distributed on a computer screen. In Part B, participants were required to link alternately between numbers and letters (1-A-2-B ...). Although behavioral performance was somewhat less than typically obtained with the TMT due to use of the virtual stylus, distinct left-sided dorsolateral and medial frontal activity was revealed when comparing Part B versus Part A. These findings agree with existing literature showing sensitivity of the TMT to frontal regions in the left hemisphere. However, other activity was also observed (left middle and superior temporal gyrus) reinforcing that the brain-behavior correlations for the TMT are multifaceted and not restricted to the frontal lobe.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“these tests involve DLPFC (Owen et al. 2005, Zakzanis et al. 2005) and are sensitive to mTBI (Arciniega et al. 2021, Li et al. 2023).”
From Mild traumatic brain injury alters function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: a TMS-EEG study (2025) · cites this paper as Zakzanis et al. 2005
In the citing paper
“As shown in Table 1 (in the main text), regions commonly activated during these tasks are related to fronto-parietal and fronto-striatal brain regions [59–65].”
From The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism (2009) · cites this paper as [65]
Citations
Cites
AFNI: Software for analysis and visualization of functional magnetic resonance neuroimages
Cox, R. W. (1996) · Computers and Biomedical Research · doi:10.1006/cbmr.1996.0014 · Cited by 10,913
VALIDITY OF THE TRAIL MAKING TEST AS AN INDICATOR OF ORGANIC BRAIN DAMAGE
Reitan, R. M. (1958) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.2466/pms.1958.8.3.271 · Cited by 8,167
Brain magnetic resonance imaging with contrast dependent on blood oxygenation.
Ogawa, S., Lee, T. M., Kay, A. R., & Tank, D. W. (1990) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.87.24.9868 · Cited by 6,483
The Neuropsychological Assessment
Ogden, J. A. (2005) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780195171358.003.0002 · Cited by 4,382
Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of human brain activity during primary sensory stimulation.
Kwong, K. K., Belliveau, J. W., Chesler, D. A., Goldberg, I. E., Weisskoff, R. M., Poncelet, B. P., Kennedy, D. N., Hoppel, B. E., Cohen, M. S., & Turner, R. (1992) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.89.12.5675 · Cited by 4,212
Ogawa, S., Tank, D. W., Menon, R., Ellermann, J. M., Kim, S. G., Merkle, H., & Ugurbil, K. (1992) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.89.13.5951 · Cited by 3,681
Effects of Different Brain Lesions on Card Sorting: The Role of the Frontal Lobes
MILNER, B. (1963) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneur.1963.00460070100010 · Cited by 2,217
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test manual
Heaton, R. K. (1981) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,604
Partial least squares analysis of neuroimaging data: applications and advances
McIntosh, A. R., & Lobaugh, N. J. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.07.020 · Cited by 1,084
Self-initiated versus externally triggered movements
Jahanshahi, M., Jenkins, I. H., Brown, R. G., MARSDEN, C. D., Passingham, R. E., & Brooks, D. J. (1995) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/118.4.913 · Cited by 999
Monchi, O., Petrides, M., Petre, V., Worsley, K., & Dagher, A. (2001) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.21-19-07733.2001 · Cited by 961
Some effects of frontal lobectomy in man
Milner, B. A. (1964) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 910
(1964) · McGraw-Hill eBooks · Cited by 838
Berman, K. (1995) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/0028-3932(95)00035-2 · Cited by 534
The Trail Making Test, Part B: Cognitive Flexibility or Ability to Maintain Set?
Kortte, K. B., Horner, M. D., & Windham, W. K. (2002) · Applied Neuropsychology · doi:10.1207/s15324826an0902_5 · Cited by 531
An analysis of certain psychological tests used for the evaluation of brain injury.
Armitage, S. G. (1946) · The Psychological Monographs · doi:10.1037/h0093567 · Cited by 518
Self‐navigated spiral fMRI: Interleaved versus single‐shot
Glover, G. H., & Lai, S. (1998) · Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · doi:10.1002/mrm.1910390305 · Cited by 476
The Frontal Granular Cortex and Behavior.
Cole, M. (1964) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneur.1964.00460240114017 · Cited by 468
The trail making test: A study in focal lesion patients.
Stuss, D. T., Bisschop, S. M., ALEXANDER, M. P., Levine, B., Katz, D. I., & Izukawa, D. (2001) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/1040-3590.13.2.230 · Cited by 372
Trail Making Test Results for Normal and Brain-Damaged Children
Reitan, R. M. (1971) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.2466/pms.1971.33.2.575 · Cited by 346
Neural Bases of Set-Shifting Deficits in Parkinson's Disease
Monchi, O., Petrides, M., Doyon, J., Postuma, R. B., Worsley, K. J., & Dagher, A. (2004) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4860-03.2004 · Cited by 343
The cerebral correlates of set-shifting: an fMRI study of the trail making test
Moll, J., Oliveira-Souza, R. D., Moll, F. T., Bramati, I. E., & Andreiuolo, P. A. (2002) · Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria · doi:10.1590/s0004-282x2002000600002 · Cited by 258
COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS FOR CEREBRAL DAMAGE
Spreen, O., & Benton, A. L. (1965) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-196505000-00002 · Cited by 157
Improved executive functioning following repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Moser, D. J., Jorge, R. E., Manes, F., Paradiso, S., Benjamin, M. L., & Robinson, R. G. (2002) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.58.8.1288 · Cited by 157
Anderson, C. V., Bigler, E. D., & Blatter, D. D. (1995) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/01688639508402438 · Cited by 136
Three tests of attention and rapid information processing: An extension
Stuss, D. T., Stethem, L. L., & Pelchat, G. (1988) · The Clinical Neuropsychologist · doi:10.1080/13854048808520107 · Cited by 134
Decline of Frontal Lobe Functions in Subjects with Age-associated Memory Impairment
Hänninen, T., Hallikainen, M., Koivisto, K. J., Partanen, K. P. L., Laakso, M. P., Riekkinen, P. J., & Soininen, H. S. (1997) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.48.1.148 · Cited by 126
Heilbronner, R. L., Henry, G. K., Buck, P., Adams, R. L., & Fogle, T. (1991) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1093/arclin/6.4.251 · Cited by 72
Cook, I. A., Leuchter, A. F., Morgan, M. L., Witte, E. A., David, S., Lufkin, R. B., Babaie, A., Dunkin, J. J., O'Hara, R. M., Simon, S. L., et al. (2002) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneur.59.10.1612 · Cited by 68
Segalowitz, S. J., Ünsal, A., & Dywan, J. (1992) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/01688639208402844 · Cited by 67
A Platform for Combining Virtual Reality Experiments with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mraz, R., Hong, J., Quintin, G., Staines, R. W., McIlroy, W. E., Zakzanis, K. K., & Graham, S. J. (2003) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/109493103322278736 · Cited by 51
Self-citationGenerative models, brain function and neuroimaging
Friston, K. J., & Price, C. J. (2001) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/1467-9450.00228 · Cited by 45
Gender‐specific Differences of Hypometabolism in mTLE: Implication for Cognitive Impairments
Nickel, J., Jokeit, H., Wunderlich, G., Ebner, A., Witte, O. W., & Seitz, R. J. (2003) · Epilepsia · doi:10.1111/j.0013-9580.2003.13603.x · Cited by 31
Attention-Induced frontal brain activation measured by Near-Infrared spectroscopy
Weber, P., Lütschg, J., & Fahnenstich, H. (2004) · Pediatric Neurology · doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2003.12.010 · Cited by 22
Limitations of the Oral Trail Making Test in a Mixed Sample of Older Individuals
Ruchinskas, R. A. (2003) · The Clinical Neuropsychologist · doi:10.1076/clin.17.2.137.16498 · Cited by 22
Snow, W. G. (1987) · The Clinical Neuropsychologist · doi:10.1080/13854048708520059 · Cited by 15
Trail Making Test in Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy: Performance and Discriminative Potential
Nilson, L. N., Barregård, L., & Bäckman, L. (1999) · The Clinical Neuropsychologist · doi:10.1076/clin.13.3.314.1737 · Cited by 15
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Snyder, H. R. (2013) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0028727 · Cited by 1,667
Administration and interpretation of the Trail Making Test
Bowie, C. R., & Harvey, P. D. (2006) · Nature Protocols · doi:10.1038/nprot.2006.390 · Cited by 1,418
The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism
Geurts, H. M., Corbett, B., & Solomon, M. (2009) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.006 · Cited by 538
What cognitive abilities are involved in trail-making performance?
Salthouse, T. A. (2011) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2011.03.001 · Cited by 508
EFNS guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease
Hort, J., O’Brien, J. T., Gainotti, G., Pirttila, T., Popescu, B. O., Rektorova, I., Sorbi, S., Scheltens, P., & Dementia, O. B. O. T. E. S. P. O. (2010) · European Journal of Neurology · doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2010.03040.x · Cited by 490
Metadata
- Authors
- Zakzanis, K. K., Mraz, R., & Graham, S. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Mraz, Richard
- Venue
- Neuropsychologia
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-01
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 1878-1886
- ISSN
- 0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2051410142
- Cited by
- 408
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 5.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Historical and Modern Theater Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- Trail Making Test, frontal lobe function, brain-behavior relationship, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial frontal cortex, left hemisphere, executive function, temporal lobe activation, neuropsychological assessment validity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Dominance, Cerebral, Female, Frontal Lobe, Hand, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Movement, Psychomotor Performance, Reference Values, Serial Learning, Trail Making Test
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review