Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits
Abstract Cognitive impairment after stroke is heterogeneous: there is no strict correspondence between brain damage and magnitude of deficit or recovery. Protective factors such as cognitive or brain reserve have been invoked to explain the mismatch. Here, we consider the opposite point of view: the...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08074-z |
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| author | Elvio Blini Daniela D’Imperio Zaira Romeo Michele De Filippo De Grazia Laura Passarini Cristina Pilosio Francesca Meneghello Mario Bonato Marco Zorzi |
| author_facet | Elvio Blini Daniela D’Imperio Zaira Romeo Michele De Filippo De Grazia Laura Passarini Cristina Pilosio Francesca Meneghello Mario Bonato Marco Zorzi |
| author_sort | Elvio Blini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cognitive impairment after stroke is heterogeneous: there is no strict correspondence between brain damage and magnitude of deficit or recovery. Protective factors such as cognitive or brain reserve have been invoked to explain the mismatch. Here, we consider the opposite point of view: the instances in which this protection is overturned. We leveraged on multitasking to stress the brain’s processing limits and unveil deficits that may be missed by standard testing in a sample of 46 patients with unilateral subacute to chronic stroke and no sign of lateralized spatial-attentional disorders at neuropsychological paper-and-pencil tests. Multivariate analyses identified a phenotype of patients with high susceptibility to multitasking, showing stark contralesional spatial awareness deficit only when multitasking. Multivariate brain-behavior mapping based on lesions location and structural disconnections pointed to the Multiple-Demand System, a network of frontal and fronto-parietal areas subserving domain-general processes. Damage in this network may critically interact with domain-specific processes, resulting in subtle and yet invalidating deficits. Indeed, these patients (one-third of the sample) presented worse performance in tests evaluating activities of daily living and domain-general abilities. We conclude that the theoretical construct of susceptibility to multitasking helps understanding what marks the passage to clinically visible deficits after brain damage. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b06b31514a444dd8998044e797de81a5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b06b31514a444dd8998044e797de81a52025-08-20T01:51:28ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-05-018111410.1038/s42003-025-08074-zSusceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficitsElvio Blini0Daniela D’Imperio1Zaira Romeo2Michele De Filippo De Grazia3Laura Passarini4Cristina Pilosio5Francesca Meneghello6Mario Bonato7Marco Zorzi8Department of General Psychology and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of PadovaIRCCS San Camillo HospitalDepartment of General Psychology and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of PadovaIRCCS San Camillo HospitalIRCCS San Camillo HospitalIRCCS San Camillo HospitalIRCCS San Camillo HospitalDepartment of General Psychology and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of PadovaDepartment of General Psychology and Padova Neuroscience Center, University of PadovaAbstract Cognitive impairment after stroke is heterogeneous: there is no strict correspondence between brain damage and magnitude of deficit or recovery. Protective factors such as cognitive or brain reserve have been invoked to explain the mismatch. Here, we consider the opposite point of view: the instances in which this protection is overturned. We leveraged on multitasking to stress the brain’s processing limits and unveil deficits that may be missed by standard testing in a sample of 46 patients with unilateral subacute to chronic stroke and no sign of lateralized spatial-attentional disorders at neuropsychological paper-and-pencil tests. Multivariate analyses identified a phenotype of patients with high susceptibility to multitasking, showing stark contralesional spatial awareness deficit only when multitasking. Multivariate brain-behavior mapping based on lesions location and structural disconnections pointed to the Multiple-Demand System, a network of frontal and fronto-parietal areas subserving domain-general processes. Damage in this network may critically interact with domain-specific processes, resulting in subtle and yet invalidating deficits. Indeed, these patients (one-third of the sample) presented worse performance in tests evaluating activities of daily living and domain-general abilities. We conclude that the theoretical construct of susceptibility to multitasking helps understanding what marks the passage to clinically visible deficits after brain damage.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08074-z |
| spellingShingle | Elvio Blini Daniela D’Imperio Zaira Romeo Michele De Filippo De Grazia Laura Passarini Cristina Pilosio Francesca Meneghello Mario Bonato Marco Zorzi Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits Communications Biology |
| title | Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| title_full | Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| title_fullStr | Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| title_short | Susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple-demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| title_sort | susceptibility to multitasking in stroke is associated to multiple demand system damage and leads to lateralized visuospatial deficits |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08074-z |
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