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Background: The aim of this study was to explore the construct validity and diagnostic properties of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) in non-demented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Materials: A total of 61 consecutive patients and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were administered the 36-item RMET. Additionally, patients underwent a comprehensive assessment of social cognition via the Story-Based Empathy Task (SET), which encompasses three subtests targeting Causal Inference, Emotion Attribution (SET-EA), and Intention Attribution (SET-IA), as well as global cognitive [the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS)] and behavioral screening [the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI); the Dimensional Apathy Scale (DAS); the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y]. The construct validity of the RMET was tested by regressing it within a stepwise model that encompassed as predictors the abovementioned cognitive and behavioral measures, covarying for demographic and motor confounders. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analyses allowed exploring intrinsic and post-test properties of the RMET both in discriminating patients from HCs and in identifying patients with a defective SET-EA performance. Results: The RMET was solely predicted by the SET-EA (p = 0.003) and SET-IA (p = 0.005). RMET scores showed high accuracy both in discriminating patients from HCs (AUC = 0.81) and in identifying patients with a defective SET-EA score (AUC = 0.82), with adequate-to-optimal both intrinsic and post-test properties. Discussion: The RMET is a convergently and divergently valid measure of affective social cognition in non-demented ALS patients, also featuring optimal intrinsic and post-test diagnostic properties in both case-control and case-finding scenarios.

Objectives: The diagnostic capabilities of specific cognitive screeners are clinically crucial for an early detection of frontotemporal features in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. This study aimed at providing diagnostic properties of the cognitive section of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS) in Italian ALS patients. Methods: Eighty-nine consecutive Italian ALS patients were classified according to Strong et al. (2017) criteria with a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The Italian version of ECAS was also administered, and its accuracy, sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), negative and positive predictive values (PPV; NPV) and likelihood ratios (LR+; LR-) were computed against clinical diagnoses. Results: The ECAS and its subscales yielded moderate-to-high accuracy (AUC =.7–.87). High SP was overall found (81.8%–100%). The most sensitive measures were ALS-specific and Executive (73.9–78.3%) subscales, while the least were the ALS-non-specific subscales (8.7–17.4%). ECAS measures showed good PPVs (60%–100%) and NPVs (75.9%–91.5%). Acceptable LRs were found (LR+: 6.97–4.3; LR–:.29–.91), with total and ALS-specific measures yielding the best estimates. Conclusions: This is the first study demonstrating the diagnostic value of the ECAS against a thorough neuropsychological assessment in Italy. ECAS-total and -ALS-specific scores are diagnostically sound as to both intrinsic and post-test features, whereas ALS-non-specific measures perform slightly worse.

Background: This study aimed to provide equating norms for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) from a sample of healthy Italian adults. Methods: Four-hundred and seven Italian healthy adults (165 males, 242 females; mean age = 60.61 ± 13.74 years, range= 20–93; mean education = 12.2 ± 4.42 years, range= 4–25) were administered the MMSE and the MoCA. ‘MMSE-to-MoCA’ and ‘MoCA-to-MMSE’ conversion tables were derived via log-linear smoothing equi-percentile equating (LSEE). Equivalence between empirical and conversion-derived scores was determined with a two one-sided test (TOST) procedure. Results: Conversion-derived scores were statistically equivalent to empirical ones for both the MMSE (p = 0.948) and the MoCA (p = 0.437). The LSEE yielded impossible/unreliable conversion estimates for floor scores on both tests, whereas conversions for uppermost scores were highly consistent. Discussion: The present data will help avoid inter-rater heterogeneity in cross-sectionally and longitudinally adopting either one of the two cognitive screening tests, and to retrospective analyze data collected via either one test or the other.

OBJECTIVE: Social cognition and executive deficits are frequent in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet, there is a paucity of standardized domain-specific psychometric tools for the assessment of complex decision-making, social cognition (i.e., Theory of Mind), and empathy. To this aim, this study intended at providing normative data in an Italian population sample for the Iowa Gambling Task, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. METHOD: The Iowa Gambling Task, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index were administered to 462 healthy Italian participants aged between 18 and 91 years, considering demographic factors. A confirmatory factor analysis was run to test for unidimensionality. Normative values were derived by means of the Equivalent Scores method. RESULTS: Education predicted all tests' scores, age influenced scores at the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, gender predicted empathic abilities only. The three tests did not underpin a unidimensional structure. CONCLUSIONS: The present work provides demographically adjusted Italian normative data for a set of tests assessing real-life decision-making, emotion recognition and empathy, filling a gap within II-level, domain-specific, neuropsychological testing. For the first time, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index is proposed as an adjuvant neuropsychological tool, while the standardization of the Iowa Gambling Task offers a new scoring system for advantageous/disadvantageous choices.

Background: Episodic long-term memory (LTM) difficulties/deficits are frequent in COVID-19-recovered patients and negatively impact on prognosis and outcome. However, little is known about their semiology and prevalence, also being still debated whether they arise from primary amnesic features or are secondary to dysexecutive/inattentive processes and disease-related/premorbid status. Hence, this study aimed at (1) assessing LTM functioning in post-infectious SARS-CoV-2 patients by accounting for premorbid and disease-related confounders and (2) exploring its cognitive etiology. Methods: Measures of global cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)) and LTM (Babcock Memory Test (BMT)) of fifty-four COVID-19-recovered patients were retrospectively collected. Patients were subdivided into those being already at risk or not for cognitive decline (RCD + ; RCD −). Cognitive measures were converted into equivalent scores (ESs). Results: LTM sub-clinical/clinical deficits (ESs = 0/1) were mildly-to-moderately prevalent in both RCD + (MoCA-Memory, 31.8%; BMT, 31.8%) and RCD − (MoCA-Memory, 28.6%; BMT, 39.3%) patients. MMSE and MoCA total scores, but not the MoCA-Attention subtest, were associated with the BMT. RCD + asymptomatic patients performed better on the BMT (p =.033) than those requiring O2 therapy (but not ventilation). Discussion: COVID-19-recovered individuals might show LTM deficits of both primary and secondary etiology and should be thus screened for them, especially those having suffered mid-to-moderate COVID-19 and those already being at risk for cognitive decline. Both I- and II-level measures of verbal LTM can be adopted, although the former might be more sensitive.

Background: There is an increasing need for objective and standardized assessment of testamentary capacity (TC) in dementia. A new instrument, the Testamentary Capacity Assessment Tool (TCAT), has been recently developed; however, the lack of validation and normative data regarding this cognitive screening test has limited its adoption in forensic and clinical settings. The present study collects normative data for the TCAT and assesses its convergent validity with standardized cognitive tests and the capacity to define what a ‘testament’ is. Methods: The study involved 323 neurologically healthy adults (123 males, 200 females) of different ages (31–93 years) and different educational levels (4–25 years). The TCAT was administered along with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and the Testament Definition Scale (TDS). Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant effect for gender, age and education on TCAT scores. Correlation analyses showed significant associations between the TCAT and the MMSE, MoCA, FAB and BDI-II. A positive correlation between the TCAT and TDS was also found, proving good convergent validity of the TCAT with respect to TC. Finally, cut-off scores and Equivalent Scores (ES) were computed. Discussion: The present study provides normative data for using the TCAT as an adjuvant cognitive screening test in the neuropsychological evaluation of TC. Our findings shall be of interest for the adoption of the TCAT also in clinical practice, since it evaluates cognitive functions (e.g., autobiographic memory, Theory of Mind) not measured by traditional screening tests.

Background: The novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) shows neurotropism and systemically affects the central nervous system (CNS). Cognitive deficits have been indeed reported as both short- and long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the association between these disturbances and background/disease-related clinical features remains elusive. This work aimed at exploring how post-infective cognitive status relates to clinical/treatment outcomes by controlling for premorbid/current risk factors for cognitive deficits. Methods: Cognitive measures (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) of N=152 COVID-19 patient were retrospectively assessed in relation to disease severity, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, steroidal treatment, and occurrence of other viral/bacterial infections by controlling for remote/recent/COVID-19-related risk factors for cognitive deficits (at-risk vs. not-at-risk: Neuro+ vs. Neuro−). Results: Descriptively, impaired MMSE performances were highly prevalent in mild-to-moderate patients (26.3%). ICU-admitted patients made less errors (p=.021) on the MMSE than those not admitted when partialling out risk factors and age—the latter negatively influencing performances. When addressing Neuro− patients only, steroidal treatment appears to improve MMSE scores among those suffering from other infections (p=.025). Discussion: Cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 are likely to arise from a complex interplay between background/clinical premorbid features and disease-related/interventional procedures and outcomes. Mild-to-moderate patients requiring assistive ventilation who however are not admitted to an ICU are more likely to suffer from cognitive deficits—despite their etiology remaining elusive.

Background: Cognitive screening tests (CSTs) are crucial to neuropsychological diagnostics, and thus need to be featured by robust psychometric and diagnostic properties. However, CSTs happen not to meet desirable statistical standards, negatively affecting their level of recommendations and applicability. This study aimed at (a) providing an up-to-date compendium of available CSTs in Italy, (b) report their psychometric and diagnostic properties, and (c) address related limitations. Methods: This review was implemented by consulting Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and pre-registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Standardization and usability studies focusing on norms, validity, reliability, or sensitivity/specificity (and derived metrics) in adults were considered for eligibility. Quality assessment was performed by means of an ad hoc checklist collecting information on sampling, psychometrics/diagnostics, norming, and feasibility. Results: Sixty studies were included out of an initial N = 683. Identified CSTs (N = 40) were classified into general, domain-, and disease-specific (N = 17, 7, and 16, respectively), the latter being less statistically robust than remaining categories. Validity and reliability evidence was provided for 29 and 26 CSTs, respectively, sensitivity/specificity for 20 and norms for 33. Prevalence- and post-test-based diagnostic metrics were seldomly represented; factorial structures, ceiling/floor effects, and acceptability rarely investigated; content, face, and ecological validity never assessed. Discussion: Although available Italian CSTs overall met basic psychometric/diagnostic requirements, their statistical profile often proved to be poor on several properties that are desirable for clinical applications, with a few exceptions among general and domain-specific ones.

Background: Motor structures involvement has been traditionally assumed to account for selective deficits of verb (V) vs. noun (N) processing in Parkinon's disease (PD) patients via action semantic impairment (Embodied Cognition Theory, ECT). Nonetheless, post-semantic accounts, as well as extra-linguistic explanations (task difficulty effects), have not been evenly endorsed. This study aimed at investigating neurocognitive underpinnings of N-V discrepanies in PD patients. Methods: PD patients with (PD+) and without (PD-) cognitive impairments were compared to healthy participants (HPs) on tasks evaluating N and V semantic as well as post-semantic processing. Effects of motor content (actionality) of Ns and Vs and of verb argument structure (VAS) complexity were assessed. Results: All groups performed worse in V than in N lexical retrieval. PD patients performed worse than HPs on both lexical and semantic tasks. By contrast, only N/V naming tasks discriminated PD-from PD + patients. PD + patients showed selective difficulties in retrieving low-actionality as well as transitive and unaccusative Vs. No associations were detected between the action semantic measure and V-naming performances. Discussion: ECT-framed explanations cannot account for N-V discrepancies in PD patients. Indeed, these patients showed semantic deficits not limited to the action domain and retrieved most easily high-actionality Vs. N-V discrepancies in PD patients would thus reflect a magnification of a differential processing demand for Vs vs. Ns - which is intrinsic to the neurocognitive system. Nonetheless, PD patients being sensitive to VAS complexity might imply fronto-striatal involvement in V post-semantic processing, possibly at the lemma level.

Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly catalysed a shift towards remote assessment in neuropsychological practice (tele-neuropsychology, t-NPs). Although the validity of t-NPs diagnostics is gaining recognition worldwide, little is known about its implementation in Italy. The present review by the Italian working group on tele-neuropsychology (TELA) aims at describing the availability, psychometric properties, and feasibility of t-NPs tools currently available in Italy. Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. This work was pre-registered on the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42021239687). Observational studies reporting telephone-, videoconference- or web-based assessment of cognition/behaviour in Italian both healthy participants (HPs) and patients were included. Bias assessment was performed through ad hoc scales. Results: Fourteen studies were included from an initial N = 895 (4 databases searched). Studies were subdivided into those focused on psychometric properties and those characterized by a predominant applied nature. The majority of studies addressed either adult/elderly HPs or neurological/internal patients. Multi-domain screening tools for cognition, behaviour, mood/anxiety and quality of life were the most represented. Findings regarding validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity and clinical usability were reported for cognitive screenings — the telephone- and videoconference-based Mini-Mental State Examination and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Discussion: Positive albeit preliminary evidence regarding psychometric properties and feasibility in both clinical and non-clinical populations of Italian t-NPs brief screening tools are herewith provided. Further studies exploring clinical usability of t-NPs and psychometric properties/feasibility of tests for the in-depth assessment of specific cognitive domains are necessary.

Background: Due to SARS-CoV-2-related encephalopathic features, COVID-19 patients may show cognitive sequelae that negatively affect functional outcomes. However, although cognitive screening has been recommended in recovered individuals, little is known about which instruments are suitable to this scope by also accounting for clinical status. This study thus aimed at comparatively assessing the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in detecting cognitive deficits in post-COVID-19 patients premorbidly/contextually being or not at risk for cognitive deficits (RCD + ; RCD-). Methods: Data from N = 100 COVID-19-recovered individuals having been administered both the MMSE and the MoCA were retrospectively analyzed separately for each group. RCD ± classification was performed by taking into consideration both previous and disease-related conditions. Equivalent scores (ESs) were adopted to examine classification performances of the two screeners. Results: The two groups were comparable as for most background and cognitive measures. MMSE or MoCA adjusted scores were mostly unrelated to disease-related features. The two screeners yielded similar estimates of below-cut-off performances—RCD + : MMSE: 20%, MoCA: 23.6%; RCD-: MMSE: 2.2%, MoCA: 4.4%. However, agreement rates dropped when also addressing borderline, “low-end” normal, and normal ability categories—with the MoCA attributing lower levels than the MMSE (RCD + : Cohen’s k =.47; RCD-: Cohen’s k =.17). Discussion: Although both the MMSE and the MoCA proved to be equally able to detect severe cognitive sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in both RCD + and RCD- patients, the MoCA appeared to be able to reveal sub-clinical defects and more sharply discriminate between different levels of ability.

Background: Deficits of executive functioning (EF) are frequently found in neurological disorders. The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is one of the most widespread and psychometrically robust EF screeners in clinical settings. However, in Italy, FAB norms date back to 15 years ago; moreover, its validity against “EF-loaded” global cognitive screeners (e.g., the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA) has yet to be tested. This study thus aimed at (a) providing updated normative data for the Italian FAB and (b) assessing its convergent validity with the MoCA. Methods: Four-hundred and seventy-five healthy Italian native speakers (306 females, 169 males; mean age: 61.08 ± 15.1; mean education: 11.67 ± 4.57) were administered by the MoCA and the FAB. FAB items were divided into three subscales: FAB-1 (linguistically mediated EF), FAB-2 (planning), and FAB-3 (inhibition). Regression-based norms were derived (equivalent scores) for all FAB measures. Results: Age and education were predictive of all FAB measures, whereas no gender differences were detected. The FAB and its sub-scales were related to MoCA measures—the strongest associations being found with MoCA total and MoCA-EF scores. FAB sub-scales were both internally related and associated with FAB total scores. Discussion: The FAB proved to have convergent validity with both global cognitive and EF measures in healthy individuals. The present study provides updated normative data for the FAB and its sub-scales in an Italian population sample, and thus supports an adaptive usage of this EF screener.

Background: The availability of fine-grained, culture-specific psychometric outcomes can favor the interpretation of scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the most frequently used instrument to screen for mild cognitive dysfunctions in both instrumental and non-instrumental domains. This study thus aimed at providing: (i) updated, region-specific norms for the Italian MoCA, by also (ii) comparing them to pre-existing ones with higher geographical coverage; (iii) information on sensitivity and discriminative capability at the item level. Methods: Five hundred and seventy nine healthy individuals from Northern Italy (208 males, 371 females; age: 63.4 ± 15, 21–96; education: 11.3 ± 4.6, 1–25) were administered the MoCA. Item Response Theory (IRT) was adopted to assess item difficulty and discrimination. Normative values were derived by means of the Equivalent Scores (ESs) method, applied to the MoCA and its sub-scales. Average ESs were also computed. Agreement with previous ESs classification was assessed via Cohen’s k. Results: Age and education significantly predicted all MoCA measures except for Orientation, which was related to age only. No sex differences were detected when tested along with age and education. Substantial disagreements with previous ESs classifications were detected. Several items proved to be scarcely sensitive, especially the place item from Orientation and the letter detection task. Memory items showed high discriminative capability, along with certain items assessing executive functions and orientation. Discussion: Item-level information herewith provided for the Italian MoCA can help interpret its scores by Italian practitioners. Italian practitioners should consider an adaptive use of region-specific norms for the MoCA.

Originally, in the "Results" section of the Abstract, the sentence "ICU-admitted patients made more errors (p=.021) on the MMSE than those not admitted when partialling out risk factors and age—the latter negatively influencing performances." contains a misprint. It has be changed to "ICUadmitted patients made less errors (p=.021) on the MMSE than those not admitted when partialling out risk factors and age—the latter negatively influencing performances." The original article has been corrected.

The above article was published online with errors. The Methods and Results sections contained minor calculation errors - which, however, did not invalidate the proposed method/software. Accordingly, Figure 2 has also been revised. The original article has been corrected.

Introduction: Depression is a comorbidity in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, its diagnosis is challenged by the co-occurrence of a similar frontotemporal (FT) behavioral symptom-i.e., apathy. Moreover, its psychometric evaluation is confounded by motor disabilities. This study aimed at investigating psychometric properties and feasibility of the ALS Depression Inventory (ADI-12), a self-report questionnaire set up for this issue-as measuring mood changes without referring to movement. Methods: Eighty-five ALS patients were administered the ADI-12 and underwent cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE), quality of life (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, MQoL) and further anxiety/mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) assessments. Reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the ADI-12 were explored. Results: Principal component analyses revealed two related components-"Negative Mood and Lack of Energy" (ME) and "Anhedonia" (A). Both components and the inventory as a whole were internally consistent and highly related to HADS-D. ADI-12-total score was also associated with HADS-A. ADI-12 measures were inversely related to MQoL. ADI-12-total/sub-scales were not related to either MMSE or disease-related outcomes. Estimates of depression yielded by HADS-D and ADI-12 were 11.1 and 35.3%. Discussion: The ADI-12 is a valid, reliable and usable feasibile tool to assess depression in Italian ALS patients independently from motor disabilities. Its interplay with psycho-social outcomes is in agreement with previous studies. The lack of association with cognition suggests that the ADI-12 is partially independent from FT spectrum disorders. The disagreement in depression rates between the ADI-12 and HADS-D suggests the need to ALS-specific mood scales.

In the present work, we applied anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and frontal eye field (FEF) of the right hemisphere in healthy subjects to modulate attentional orienting and disengagement in a gap-overlap task. Both stimulations led to bilateral improvements in saccadic reaction times (SRTs), with larger effects for gap trials. However, analyses showed that the gap effect was not affected by tDCS. Importantly, we observed significant effects of baseline performance that may mediate side- and task-specific effects of brain stimulation.

Background Selective deficit of verb (V) vs. noun (N) processing has been frequently reported in the motor neuron disease–frontotemporal dementia (MND-FTD) complex. Prerolandic regions atrophy has been traditionally thought to account for N-V dissociation in the MND-FTD complex via selective impairment of action semantics (Embodied Cognition Theory, ECT) [1]. Nonetheless, prerolandic regions might be engaged in post-semantic stages of V processing. Indeed, neurofunctional evidence in both the healthy [2] and damaged [3] brain hints at prerolandic regions involvement in morpho-phonological processing of V stimuli regardless of their semantic status. Besides, behavioral evidence shows that Ns and Vs can dissociate in MND patients without semantic impairment [4]. Furthermore, task-difficulty effects – i.e., both executive dysfunctions and global cognitive efficiency decrease - might account to a degree for N-V dissociation in MND patients. Executive functioning (EF) is known to possibly be defective in MND patients [4], and N-V dissociation has been described in neurological disorders that are not characterized by language dysfunctions as pathognomonic behavioral features [5]. This study therefore aimed at assessing the validity of post-semantic and task-difficulty-effect accounts vs. ECT-framed explanations with regards to posited neurocognitive mechanisms underlying N-V dissociation in MND patients. Methods Thirty consecutive MND patients and 29 age- and education-matched healthy control (HC) participants were recruited and underwent global cognitive screening. The two groups were compared on tasks evaluating N and V lexical retrieval (visual confrontation naming), object- and action-semantics (picture-to-picture matching), and V lexical and morphosyntactic implementation (V argument structure production from visual confrontation of both picture and lexical target items), while controlling for an Executive Functioning Index (EFI) computed from phonemic and alternate

Introduction. Neuropsychological data from both patients and healthy subjects often do not meet normality and heteroscedasticity assumptions required to perform linear model (LM) analyses. Negatively skewed and overdispersed distribution are frequent findings due to ceiling effect and high interindividual variability respectively. Variance-stabilizing and normalizing transformations might not be adequate since data assume a count-like distribution. Non-parametric alternatives thereupon might lack statistical power too. This study aim is to provide a proof of concept that using generalized linear models (GLM) which assume overdispersed count-like distributions (Negative Binomial; NB) can obviate aforesaid issues. Methods. Data regarding a noun naming task (range=0-50) on which largely-cognitively-spared motor neuron disease patients (MND; N=30) were compared to healthy controls (HC; N=29) were retrieved from Aiello et al. (2019). MND patients can present with mild language deficits [2]. The number of errors on the task was computed for each subject and regarded as the outcome variable. Likelihood ratio tests between non-nested models with parametric-bootstrap-inferred distributions [3] were implemented in order to assess the goodness of fit of the NB GLM compared to a classical LM and the Poisson GLM (a widely used non-overdispersed GLM for count data) with regards to a case-control comparison. Results. The null hypothesis (H0) that the underlying distribution was a NB vs. a Gaussian could be accepted (p=.402). The H0 that the underlying probability distribution was a NB vs. a Poisson could be accepted (p=.527) as well as the H0 that the underlying probability distribution was a Poisson vs. a NB could be rejected (p<.001) .Those results collectively provide strong empirical evidence that the NB distribution should be adopted to model the data. Discussion. It has been provided a proof of concept that the NB GLM yield a better fit to overdispersed ceiling neuropsych

Object. Selective deficit of verb (V) vs. noun (N) processing has been consistently reported in the motor neuron disease – frontotemporal dementia (MND-FTD) complex. Prerolandic regions atrophy has been traditionally thought to account for N-V dissociation in the MND-FTD complex via selective action semantics impairment (Embodied Cognition Theory, ECT). Nonetheless, explanations pertaining to both sensitivity of those regions to morpho-phonological structure of Vs and executive functioning (EF) contribution have not been endorsed. The aims of this study was to both assess neurocognitive mechanisms underlying N-V dissociation in MND patients and validate its cognitive diagnostic role in this population. Materials. Thirty consecutive MND patients and 29 healthy controls were recruited. Patients’ clinical features (disease duration; site of onset; bulbar signs) and both neuropsychological (Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen, ECAS) and functional outcomes were considered. Methods. The two groups were compared on tasks evaluating N and V lexical retrieval, object- and action-semantics, and V lexical-morphosyntactic implementation, while controlling for EF measures. Effects of motor feature degree (actionality) and lexical-morphosyntactic complexity of items on lexical retrieval were assessed via logistic linear mixed models; between-groups comparisons were implemented via overdispersed linear models. Clinical relevance of N-V dissociation was investigated by assessing its association with disease-related variables. Results. Both groups performed worse in V than in N naming. Patients performed worse than controls in V naming and both object- and action-semantic tasks. Both groups were comparable on remaining linguistic measures. Low-actionality and transitive Vs were the most demanding for patients. EF measures did not discriminate patients from controls but were mostly related to V naming in patients. V deficit was related to patients’ ECAS scores but not to o