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Bangirana P, Boehme AK, Birabwa A, Opoka RO, Munube D, Mupere E, Kasirye P, Muwanguzi G, Musiimenta M, Ru G, Green NS, Idro R. Neurocognitive Impairment in Ugandan Children with Sickle Cell Anemia Compared to Sibling Controls: A cross-sectional study. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2023.11.09.23298329. [PMID: 38014206 PMCID: PMC10680894 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.23298329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Neurocognitive function in Ugandan children aged 1-12 years with sickle cell anemia (SCA) were compared to their non-SCA siblings to identify risk factors for disease-associated impairment. Methods This cross-sectional neurocognitive function study of children with SCA (N=242) and non-SCA siblings (N=127) used age- and linguistically-appropriate standardized tests of cognition, executive function and attention for children ages 1-4 and 5-12 years. Test scores were converted to locally derived age-normalized z-scores. The SCA group underwent standardized stroke examination for prior stroke and transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) to determine stroke risk by arterial flow velocity. Results The SCA group was younger than siblings (mean ages 5.46±3.0 versus 7.11±3.51 years, respectively; p <.001), with lower hemoglobin concentration (7.32±1.02 vs. 12.06±1.42, p <.001). Overall cognitive SCA z-scores were lower: -0.73 ±0.98 vs. siblings -0.25 ±1.12 (p<.001), with comparable findings for executive function of -1.09±0.94 versus -0.84±1.26 (p=0.045), respectively. Attention z-scores for ages 5-12 for the SCA group and controls were similar: -0.37±1.4 vs. -0.11±0.17 (p=.09). Overall differences by SCA status were largely driven by the older age group, as z-scores in the younger sub-sample did not differ from controls. Analyses revealed the strongest predictors of poor neurocognitive outcomes among the SCA sample to be the disease, age and prior stroke (each p<.001). Impact from anemia and SCA were indistinguishable. Discussion Neurocognitive testing in children with SCA compared to non-SCA siblings revealed poorer SCA-associated functioning in children older than age 4. Results indicate need for trials assessing impact from disease modification for children with SCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Bangirana
- Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- Global Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Amelia K. Boehme
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Vagelos Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Annet Birabwa
- Department of Mental Health and Community Psychology, Makerere University College of Social Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Robert O. Opoka
- Global Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Deogratias Munube
- Global Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ezekiel Mupere
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Phillip Kasirye
- Directorate of Paediatrics and Child Health, Mulago National Referral Hospital
| | | | | | - George Ru
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Nancy S. Green
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Richard Idro
- Global Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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Mayor C, Schneider M. Confabulations in a teenager with a right frontal hemispherotomy: Possible underlying mechanisms. Clin Neuropsychol 2023; 37:1787-1808. [PMID: 36645821 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2022.2163921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Confabulations, i.e. false memories without intention to deceive, can be observed in adults with frontal brain damage. Confabulations are typically associated with episodic memory and/or executive disorders although the severity of these impairments is highly variable. Confabulations may also be associated with emotional/motivational particularities, as a positive bias seems to prevail in such situations. Several distinct cognitive and socio-affective processes may account for the various types of confabulations and these issues remain open. Method: We present the case of a teenager with an early acquired frontal damage, referred for "strange lies." Besides a standard neuropsychological assessment, we explored (1) source memory, using a reality-monitoring task, (2) episodic autobiographical memory, including both the recollection of the past memories and the ability to imagine future personal events, with an episodic future thinking task (EFT), (3) the sense of self, with questionnaires targeting self-representations, self-esteem and self-competence. Results: The results showed the expected source memory deficits and poor episodic future thinking, whereas episodic autobiographical memory was preserved, contrary to the episodic memory dysfunction usually evidenced in adult confabulators. The confabulations produced by this teenager displayed a clear positive bias, seemed to fit to personal/social goals and to wishful ideations, and were associated with an above average self-esteem and self-representation. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis of self-identity and emotional regulatory roles of the confabulations. Although the literature on confabulating children/teenagers is nearly non-existent, a more systematic screening of confabulations should be conducted in order to avoid false interpretation to strange discourse or behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Mayor
- Child Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maude Schneider
- Clinical Psychology Unit for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Khan RB, Patay Z, Klimo P, Huang J, Kumar R, Boop FA, Raches D, Conklin HM, Sharma R, Simmons A, Sadighi ZS, Onar-Thomas A, Gajjar A, Robinson GW. Clinical features, neurologic recovery, and risk factors of postoperative posterior fossa syndrome and delayed recovery: a prospective study. Neuro Oncol 2021; 23:1586-1596. [PMID: 33823018 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posterior fossa syndrome (PFS) is a known consequence of medulloblastoma resection. Our aim was to clinically define PFS, its evolution over time, and ascertain risk factors for its development and poor recovery. METHODS Children with medulloblastoma treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital from 6/2013 to 7/2019 received standardized neurological examinations, before and periodically after radiation therapy. Most (98.3%) were enrolled on the ongoing multi-institutional protocol (SJMB12; NCT01878617). RESULTS Sixty (34%) of 178 evaluated children had PFS. Forty (23%) had complete mutism (PFS1) and 20 (11%) had diminished speech (PFS2). All children with PFS had severe ataxia and 42.5% of PFS1 had movement disorders. By multivariable analysis, younger age (P = .0005) and surgery in a low-volume surgery center (P = .0146) increased PFS risk, while Sonic Hedgehog tumors had reduced risk (P = .0025). Speech and gait returned in PFS1/PFS2 children at a median of 2.3/0.7 and 2.1/1.5 months, respectively, however, 12 (44.4%) of 27 PFS1 children with 12 months of follow-up were nonambulatory at 1 year. Movement disorder (P = .037) and high ataxia score (P < .0001) were associated with delayed speech recovery. Older age (P = .0147) and high ataxia score (P < .0001) were associated with delayed gait return. Symptoms improved in all children but no child with PFS had normal neurologic examination at a median of 23 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Categorizing PFS into types 1 and 2 has prognostic relevance. Almost half of the children with PFS1 with 12-month follow-up were nonambulatory. Surgical experience was a major modifiable contributor to the development of PFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raja B Khan
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Zoltan Patay
- Department of Radiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Paul Klimo
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jie Huang
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Rahul Kumar
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Frederick A Boop
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Darcy Raches
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Heather M Conklin
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Richa Sharma
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Andrea Simmons
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Zsila S Sadighi
- Department of Oncology, MD Anderson Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Arzu Onar-Thomas
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Amar Gajjar
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Giles W Robinson
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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Abstract
There is increasing interest in the assessment of learning and memory in typically developing children as well as in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, neuropsychological assessments have been hampered by the dearth of standardised tests that enable direct comparison between distinct memory processes or between types of stimulus materials. We developed a tablet-based paired-associate learning paradigm, the Pair Test, based on neurocognitive models of learning and memory. The aims are to (i) establish the utility of this novel memory tool for use with children across a wide age range, and (ii) examine test validity, reliability and reproducibility of the construct. The convergent validity of the test was found to be adequate, and higher test reliability was shown for the Pair Test compared to standardised measures. Moderate test-retest reproducibility was shown, despite a long time interval between sessions (14 months). Moreover, the Pair Test is able to capture developmental changes in memory, and can therefore chart the developmental trajectory of memory and learning functions across childhood and adolescence. Finally, we used this novel instrument to acquire normative data from 130 typically developing children, aged 8-18 years. Age-stratified normative data are provided for learning, delayed recall and delayed recognition, for measures of verbal and non-verbal memory. The Pair Test thus provides measures of learning and memory accounting for encoding, consolidation and retrieval processes. As such, the standardised test results can be used to determine the status of learning and memory in healthy children, and also to identify deficits in paediatric patients at risk of damage to the neural network underlying mnemonic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Buck
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, National Health Service Trust, London, UK.
| | - Filipa Bastos
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, National Health Service Trust, London, UK
- Unit of Paediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Woman-Mother-Child Department, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, National Health Service Trust, London, UK
| | - Faraneh Vargha-Khadem
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, National Health Service Trust, London, UK
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Beauchamp MH, Séguin M, Gagner C, Lalonde G, Bernier A. The PARENT model: a pathway approach for understanding parents’ role after early childhood mild traumatic brain injury. Clin Neuropsychol 2020; 35:846-867. [DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2020.1834621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. H. Beauchamp
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - M. Séguin
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - C. Gagner
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - G. Lalonde
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - A. Bernier
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Canada
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Buffalo EA, Movshon JA, Wurtz RH. From basic brain research to treating human brain disorders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:26167-26172. [PMID: 31871205 PMCID: PMC6936684 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919895116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Buffalo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | | | - Robert H. Wurtz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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