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Singh S, Tripathi A, Gupta B, Rani Sarraf S, Agarwal G, Ojha B, Dalal PK. Executive functioning in early and middle age adult patients operated for epidural hematoma: A comparative study. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2024; 31:616-625. [PMID: 35311441 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2048831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Epidural Hematoma (EDH) is a common condition of traumatic brain injury. It has a good prognosis if prompt surgical intervention is conducted. There is a dearth of studies on neuropsychological assessment of executive functioning exclusively in post-operative EDH patients. Moreover, age as a variable in determining executive functions in patients post-head injury, has been studied mostly in the older adults. This cross-sectional case-control study assessed Executive Functions (EF) in 62 post-surgery patients with EDH and compared 57 healthy controls (HC) using standardized assessment tools of sustained attention, speed, working memory, fluency, set-shifting, perseveration, planning, and response inhibition. Further, executive functions in two phases of adulthood, viz. Early Adulthood (20-39 years) and Middle Adulthood (40-60 years) were compared in the EDH group (E-EDH and M-EDH) and HC (E-HC and M-HC). A two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlational analysis was conducted. Results showed a trend where the M-EDH group performed significantly poorer on executive function tests (viz a viz., time taken, errors, and correct responses), followed by E-EDH, M-HC, and E-HC. The main effect of age was found significant on Digit Symbol, Color Trail 1, N-Back 2, Animal Naming, and Stroop Effect (p < 0.01 level) while N-Back 1, WCST-PE, and Tower of London (p < 0.05 level). The findings have significant clinical and therapeutic implications. In addition, it gives guidance regarding planning specific neuropsychological tests and rehabilitation targeting specific areas of executive functions decline due to age in EDH post-surgery patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Singh
- Department of Psychaitry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Adarsh Tripathi
- Department of Psychaitry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Bandna Gupta
- Department of Psychaitry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Seema Rani Sarraf
- Department of Psychaitry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Girdhar Agarwal
- Department of Statistics, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India
| | - Balkrishna Ojha
- Department of Neurosurgery, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - P K Dalal
- Department of Psychaitry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
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Wang J, Moriguchi Y. Viewing and playing fantastical events does not affect children's cognitive flexibility and prefrontal activation. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16892. [PMID: 37484378 PMCID: PMC10360944 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Media exposure, such as viewing fantastical content, can have negative, immediate, and long-term effects on children's executive function. A recent study showed that watching fantastical content on a tablet can impair children's inhibitory control and prefrontal activation during the performance of a task. However, the same effect was not observed when children played fantastical games on a tablet. We aimed to replicate and extend this research by examining whether the same effects are observed during a cognitive flexibility task. In this study, preschool children (N = 32, 15 girls, Mean age in months (SD) = 60.6 (10)) viewed or played fantastical content on a tablet and performed a Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task before or after the media exposure. We assessed children's behavioral performance and prefrontal activation, as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and found no behavioral or neural changes after exposure. Our analyses using the Bayes factor supported the null hypothesis that children's cognitive flexibility is unaffected by watching or playing fantastical content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jue Wang
- Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Yoshidahoncho, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yusuke Moriguchi
- Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Yoshidahoncho, Kyoto, Japan
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Ibbotson P. The Development of Executive Function: Mechanisms of Change and Functional Pressures. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2022.2160719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Ibbotson
- School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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Zelazo PD, Carlson SM. Reconciling the Context-Dependency and Domain-Generality of Executive Function Skills from a Developmental Systems Perspective. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2022.2156515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Associations of Motor Performance and Executive Functions: Comparing Children with Down Syndrome to Chronological and Mental Age-Matched Controls. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9010073. [PMID: 35053698 PMCID: PMC8774164 DOI: 10.3390/children9010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Background. Children with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit lower motor and cognitive performance than typically developing children (TD). Although there is a relationship between these two developmental domains, only a few studies have addressed this association in children with DS compared to groups of the same chronological age (CA) or mental age (MA) within one study. This study aimed to fill this research gap. Method and Procedures. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 and the Trail-Making Test was used to assess motor and cognitive performances in 12 children (M = 10.5 ± 10.08) with DS, 12 CA-matched, and 12 MA-matched controls. Results. There are significant group differences in the motor dimension (total test score; p < 0.001, η2p = 0.734), for processing speed (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.396), and cognitive flexibility (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.498). Between TD-CA and both other groups, the differences in the magnitude of correlations for the motor dimension balance are also significant (compared to DS: z = −2.489; p = 0.006, and to TD-MA: z = −3.12; p < 0.001). Conclusions. Our results suggest that the relationships depend on the studied cognitive and motor skills. It seems crucial to select a wide range of tasks for both domains that are as isolated as possible for future studies, to better understand the relationships between cognitive and motor skills in children with DS.
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Holfelder B, Klotzbier TJ, Eisele M, Schott N. Hot and Cool Executive Function in Elite- and Amateur- Adolescent Athletes From Open and Closed Skills Sports. Front Psychol 2020; 11:694. [PMID: 32373029 PMCID: PMC7177013 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Executive functions (EFs) not only play an important role in shaping adolescent's goal-directed, future-oriented cognitive skills under relatively abstract, non-affective conditions (Cool EF), but also under motivationally significant, affective conditions (Hot EF). Empirical evidence suggest a link between EF, exercise and physical activity, specifically elite adult athletes appear to outperform amateur athletes in Cool EF; however, no previous studies have examined the relationship between Hot and Cool EFs and impulsivity during the developmentally sensitive period of adolescence comparing different types of sport (open- vs. closed-skills), and levels (elite athletes vs. amateurs). METHODS A total 86 boys and girls between 13 and 15 years of age (mean: 14.0, SD: 0.79) from different sports (track-and-field; team handball) were recruited. Participants were further divided into two groups: (a) 40 elite, and (b) 46 amateur athletes. They completed four Cool EF tasks including Trail-Making Test, Trail-Walking-Test, Flanker task, n-back-task, and one Hot EF task on Game of Dice task. Data on subjective impulsivity (UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-15) was also collected. RESULTS There was a significant overall effect for expertise in favor of elite athletes (Wilks' Lambda = 0.61, F(14,69) = 3.19, p = 0.001, η p 2 = 0.393), but no overall main effect for type of sport or an interaction for expertise by type of sport. Specifically, elite athletes showed significantly better performances on dual tasks. For Hot EF, there were no main effects for type of sport, expertise level, training experience or training duration. We also found positive correlations among Cool EF and impulsivity measures, and between Hot EF and Impulsivity, but no significant relationship between Cool and Hot EF. CONCLUSION The current understanding of the decisive cognitive abilities does not correspond to sporting reality, so that the tests frequently used are not sensitive enough to distinguish between elite and amateur athletes or different sports. However, it should also be remembered that the factors underlying complex sporting performance are multidimensional and are obviously difficult to trace back to selected partial aspects. Without being able to answer this question conclusively, we proposed a 4-D classification of experimental paradigms, in which we differentiate between tasks of different specificity, between Cool and Hot EF, and between task complexity, and type of sport.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nadja Schott
- Department of Sport Psychology & Human Movement Performance, Institute of Sport- and Exercise Science, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
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Traverso L, Viterbori P, Usai MC. Effectiveness of an Executive Function Training in Italian Preschool Educational Services and Far Transfer Effects to Pre-academic Skills. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2053. [PMID: 31551885 PMCID: PMC6748352 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we examine the effectiveness and far transfer effects of a training that was found to be effective in promoting Executive Function (EF) in a sample of 5-year-old children (Traverso et al., 2015). By contrast with Traverso et al. (2015), the intervention was administered by regular teachers to verify its ecological validity. Far transfer was assessed by evaluating the training effects on pre-academic skills. 126 children attending the last year of Italian preschool educational services took part in the study (mainly 5-year-old children). Pre- and post-test assessments were conducted using a large EF and pre-academic skill task battery. The results indicate that the experimental group outperformed the control group in an interference suppression composite score. Moreover, significant far transfer effects to pre-academic skills in literacy domain were found. In addition, we found that the improvement in the pre academic skills (in both literacy and math domains) was mediated by the improvement in the interference suppression score. The results suggest the possibility that this intervention, which may be easily implemented in the context of educational services, can promote EF during the preschool period before entry to primary school.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Traverso
- Department of Education Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Halse M, Steinsbekk S, Hammar Å, Belsky J, Wichstrøm L. Parental predictors of children's executive functioning from ages 6 to 10. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 37:410-426. [PMID: 30816580 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
According to prominent models of child development, parental factors may contribute to individual differences in children's executive functioning (EF). Here, we examine the relative importance of parents' socio-economic status, mental health, and parenting as predictors of EF development, drawing on a large (n = 1,070) community sample of Norwegian children who received biennial EF assessments from 6 to 10 years of age. We measure EF by means of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. We assess parenting through observer ratings of parent-child interactions and parental mental health via the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist. When we adjust for all time-invariant unmeasured confounders, higher parental education predicts superior EF development, whereas harsh parenting forecasts poorer EF development. However, parenting does not mediate the effect of parental education. These results indicate that harsh parenting should be targeted in interventions aimed at improving EF. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Parental factors seem to affect child development of executive functions (EF). Specifically, parental socio-economic status, mental health, and their parenting seem to influence the developmental course of child EF. What does this study add? To what degree the parental influence on EF development is likely to be driven by time-invariant factors, for example, genetics. The relative influence of positive and negative parenting on EF development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marte Halse
- NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Silje Steinsbekk
- NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | - Lars Wichstrøm
- NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NTNU Social Research & St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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Pellicano E, Kenny L, Brede J, Klaric E, Lichwa H, McMillin R. Executive function predicts school readiness in autistic and typical preschool children. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Devine RT, Bignardi G, Hughes C. Executive Function Mediates the Relations between Parental Behaviors and Children's Early Academic Ability. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1902. [PMID: 28018253 PMCID: PMC5156724 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed a growth of interest in parental influences on individual differences in children's executive function (EF) on the one hand and in the academic consequences of variation in children's EF on the other hand. The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to examine whether children's EF mediated the relation between three distinct aspects of parental behavior (i.e., parental scaffolding, negative parent-child interactions, and the provision of informal learning opportunities) and children's academic ability (as measured by standard tests of literacy and numeracy skills). Data were collected from 117 parent-child dyads (60 boys) at two time points ~1 year apart (M Age at Time 1 = 3.94 years, SD = 0.53; M Age at Time 2 = 5.11 years, SD = 0.54). At both time points children completed a battery of tasks designed to measure general cognitive ability (e.g., non-verbal reasoning) and EF (e.g., inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory). Our models revealed that children's EF (but not general cognitive ability) mediated the relations between parental scaffolding and negative parent-child interactions and children's early academic ability. In contrast, parental provision of opportunities for learning in the home environment was directly related to children's academic abilities. These results suggest that parental scaffolding and negative parent-child interactions influence children's academic ability by shaping children's emerging EF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory T. Devine
- Centre for Family Research, Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK
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Unity and diversity of executive functions: Individual differences as a window on cognitive structure. Cortex 2016; 86:186-204. [PMID: 27251123 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 844] [Impact Index Per Article: 105.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) are high-level cognitive processes, often associated with the frontal lobes, that control lower level processes in the service of goal-directed behavior. They include abilities such as response inhibition, interference control, working memory updating, and set shifting. EFs show a general pattern of shared but distinct functions, a pattern described as "unity and diversity". We review studies of EF unity and diversity at the behavioral and genetic levels, focusing on studies of normal individual differences and what they reveal about the functional organization of these cognitive abilities. In particular, we review evidence that across multiple ages and populations, commonly studied EFs (a) are robustly correlated but separable when measured with latent variables; (b) are not the same as general intelligence or g; (c) are highly heritable at the latent level and seemingly also highly polygenic; and (d) activate both common and specific neural areas and can be linked to individual differences in neural activation, volume, and connectivity. We highlight how considering individual differences at the behavioral and neural levels can add considerable insight to the investigation of the functional organization of the brain, and conclude with some key points about individual differences to consider when interpreting neuropsychological patterns of dissociation.
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Amso D, Haas S, McShane L, Badre D. Working memory updating and the development of rule-guided behavior. Cognition 2014; 133:201-10. [PMID: 25044248 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The transition from middle childhood into adolescence is marked by both increasing independence and also extensive change in the daily requirements of familial demands, social pressures, and academic achievement. To manage this increased complexity, children must develop the ability to use abstract rules that guide the choice of behavior across a range of circumstances. Here, we tested children through adults in a task that requires increasing levels of rule abstraction, while separately manipulating competition among alternatives in working memory. We found that age-related differences in rule-guided behavior can be explained in terms of improvement in rule abstraction, which we suggest involves a working memory updating mechanism. Furthermore, family socioeconomic status (SES) predicted change in rule-guided behavior, such that higher SES predicted better performance with development. We discuss these results within a working memory gating framework for abstract rule-guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dima Amso
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States.
| | - Sara Haas
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States
| | - Lauren McShane
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States
| | - David Badre
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States
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Schiebener J, García-Arias M, García-Villamisar D, Cabanyes-Truffino J, Brand M. Developmental changes in decision making under risk: The role of executive functions and reasoning abilities in 8- to 19-year-old decision makers. Child Neuropsychol 2014; 21:759-78. [PMID: 25027746 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2014.934216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that children and adolescents often tend toward risky decisions despite explicit knowledge about the potential negative consequences. This phenomenon has been suggested to be associated with the immaturity of brain areas involved in cognitive control functions. Particularly, "frontal lobe functions," such as executive functions and reasoning, mature until young adulthood and are thought to be involved in age-related changes in decision making under explicit risk conditions. We investigated 112 participants, aged 8-19 years, with a frequently used task assessing decisions under risk, the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Additionally, we administered the Modified Card Sorting Test assessing executive functioning (categorization, cognitive flexibility, and strategy maintenance) as well as the Ravens Progressive Matrices assessing reasoning. The results showed that risk taking in the GDT decreased with increasing age and this effect was not moderated by reasoning but by executive functions: Particularly, young persons with weak executive functioning showed very risky decision making. Thus, the individual maturation of executive functions, associated with areas in the prefrontal cortex, seems to be an important factor in young peoples' behavior in risky decision-making situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Schiebener
- a Department of General Psychology: Cognition , University of Duisburg-Essen , Duisburg , Germany
| | | | - Domingo García-Villamisar
- c Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology , University of Madrid , Spain
| | - Javier Cabanyes-Truffino
- c Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology , University of Madrid , Spain.,d Department of Neurology , University Clinic of Navarra , Madrid , Spain
| | - Matthias Brand
- a Department of General Psychology: Cognition , University of Duisburg-Essen , Duisburg , Germany.,e Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Essen , Germany
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Kraft SJ, DeThorne LS. The Brave New World of Epigenetics: Embracing Complexity in the Study of Speech and Language Disorders. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-014-0024-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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