Self-Understanding of Executive Functions in Individuals With Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

Researchers have associated agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) with a range of mild cognitive deficits, especially involving higher order executive functions. In this study, I investigated the self-understanding of executive functions in individuals with ACC by comparing laboratory-controlled, self-report, and observer-report measures. I achieved this by gathering self- and observer-reported data of executive functions and comparing these data to each other and to a normative distribution. I also examined how strongly observer-perceptions of executive functions correlate with laboratory measurement. My results indicated (a) individuals with ACC self-report fewer problems with executive functions in their daily life than observers on the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version (BRIEF-A), (b) several significant correlations exist between observer ratings on the BRIEF-A Metacognition Index and the performance of individuals with ACC on aspects of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), and (c) the BRIEF-A appears to demonstrate greater sensitivity for poor executive functions associated with complex novel problems than the D-KEFS. These findings raise questions about the ecological validity of executive function instruments used for clinical assessment in the ACC population, provide evidence for a lack of self-understanding or insight in individuals with ACC, and support previous research demonstrating higher-order cognitive deficits in the clinical profile of ACC