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Maier A, Pride NA, Hearps SJC, Shah N, Porter M, North KN, Payne JM. Neuropsychological factors associated with performance on the rey-osterrieth complex figure test in children with neurofibromatosis type 1. Child Neuropsychol 2024; 30:348-359. [PMID: 37038321 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2199975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at considerable risk for cognitive difficulties, including visuospatial deficits and executive dysfunction. This study aimed to (1) assess the overall performance of children with NF1 on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) compared to unaffected siblings and (2) examine neuropsychological predictors of RCFT performance in children with NF1. A retrospective clinical audit was performed on neuropsychological records from a multidisciplinary NF1 Clinic in Australia. We searched for children that had completed an assessment between 2000 and 2015 which included the RCFT and other neuropsychological outcomes in this study. These included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO), Tower of London test, Conners ADHD Scales, and the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). The study population consisted of 191 children with NF1 aged 6-16 years, and 55 unaffected siblings recruited from a separate study. Results revealed that 62% of children with NF1 performed at or below the first percentile on the RCFT copy, which was significantly worse than their unaffected siblings. Visuospatial skills, parent-rated executive abilities, ADHD symptoms, and intellectual skills all predicted poorer performance on the RCFT copy, however the best fitting multiple regression model only contained the JLO, BRIEF Metacognition Index, and chronological age. The JLO emerged as the strongest predictor of RCFT performance. This study provides evidence that visuospatial deficits are a key driver of reduced RCFT performance in NF1 and that executive skills as well as a younger age are also independent predictors of RCFT performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Maier
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Natalie A Pride
- Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stephen J C Hearps
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nijashree Shah
- School of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Melanie Porter
- School of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kathryn N North
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jonathan M Payne
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Wei X, Zhang S, Zhang J, Yu J. Mathematics performance, response time, and enjoyment of eighth-grade autistic students and their general education peers. Autism 2023; 27:2518-2529. [PMID: 37131296 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231168241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
For autistic students receiving special education services, little is known about their relative strengths, weaknesses, and enjoyment across different math content areas; their overall math interest and persistence are also not well-studied. Using the 2017 eighth-grade National Assessment of Education Progress data, this study finds, relative to general education peers with the same math proficiency level, autistic students scored higher and exhibited faster speed in solving visuospatial problems (e.g. identifying figures), but scored lower on math word problems with complex language or social context. Autistic students reported a higher level of enjoyment in solving math problems related to finding areas of shapes or figures but a lower level of persistence than their non-autistic, general education peers. Our work points out the need to help autistic students overcome their weaknesses in word problems and develop their mathematical persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susu Zhang
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
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Nelson ME, Veal BM, Andel R, Martinkova J, Veverova K, Horakova H, Nedelska Z, Laczó J, Vyhnalek M, Hort J. Moderating effect of cognitive reserve on brain integrity and cognitive performance. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1018071. [PMID: 36408097 PMCID: PMC9669428 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1018071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Dementia syndrome is one of the most devastating conditions in older adults. As treatments to stop neurodegeneration become available, accurate and timely diagnosis will increase in importance. One issue is that cognitive performance sometimes does not match the corresponding level of neuropathology, affecting diagnostic accuracy. Cognitive reserve (CR), which can preserve cognitive function despite underlying neuropathology, explains at least some variability in cognitive performance. We examined the influence of CR proxies (education and occupational position) on the relationship between hippocampal or total gray matter volume and cognition. Methods We used data from the Czech Brain Aging Study. Participants were clinically confirmed to be without dementia (n = 457, including subjective cognitive decline and amnestic mild cognitive impairment) or with dementia syndrome (n = 113). Results For participants without dementia, higher education magnified the associations between (a) hippocampal volume and executive control (b = 0.09, p = 0.033), (b) total gray matter volume and language (b = 0.12, p < 0.001), and (c) total gray matter volume and memory (b = 0.08, p = 0.018). Similarly, higher occupational position magnified the association between total gray matter volume and (a) attention/working memory (b = 0.09, p = 0.009), (b) language (b = 0.13, p = 0.002), and (c) memory (b = 0.10, p = 0.013). For participants with dementia, the associations between hippocampal (b = -0.26, p = 0.024) and total gray matter (b = -0.28, p = 0.024) volume and visuospatial skills decreased in magnitude with higher education. Conclusion We found that the association between brain volume and cognitive performance varies based on CR, with greater CR related to a stronger link between brain volume and cognition before, and a weaker link after, dementia diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica E. Nelson
- School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Britney M. Veal
- School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Ross Andel
- Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Julie Martinkova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Katerina Veverova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Hana Horakova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Zuzana Nedelska
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jan Laczó
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Vyhnalek
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jakub Hort
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
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Guez A, Piazza M, Pinheiro-Chagas P, Peyre H, Heude B, Ramus F. Preschool language and visuospatial skills respectively predict multiplication and addition/subtraction skills in middle school children. Dev Sci 2022; 26:e13316. [PMID: 36028996 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
A converging body of evidence from neuroimaging, behavioral and neuropsychology studies suggests that different arithmetic operations rely on distinct neuro-cognitive processes: while addition and subtraction may rely more on visuospatial reasoning, multiplication would depend more on verbal abilities. In this paper, we tested this hypothesis in a longitudinal study measuring language and visuospatial skills in 358 preschoolers, and testing their mental calculation skills at the beginning of middle school. Language skills at 5.5 years significantly predicted multiplication, but not addition nor subtraction scores at 11.5 years. Conversely, early visuospatial skills predicted addition and subtraction, but not multiplication scores. These results provide strong support for the existence of a double dissociation in mental arithmetic operations, and demonstrate the existence of long-lasting links between language/visuospatial skills and specific calculation abilities. Using structural equation modelling, we analyzed longitudinal data from 358 children. Language skills in preschool significantly predicted multiplication, but not addition nor subtraction scores in middle school. The reverse was true for preschool visuo-spatial skills. Importantly, this pattern remained unchanged when we controlled addition and multiplication operations for overall difficulty and for the magnitude of the operands. These results provide strong support for the existence of a double dissociation in mental arithmetic operations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Guez
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Manuela Piazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Pedro Pinheiro-Chagas
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Hugo Peyre
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert Debré Hospital, APHP, Paris, France.,INSERM U1141, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, DHU Protect, Paris, France
| | - Barbara Heude
- Université de Paris, CRESS, INSERM, INRAE, F-75004, Paris, France
| | - Franck Ramus
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
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Cardillo R, Lievore R, Mammarella IC. Do children with and without autism spectrum disorder use different visuospatial processing skills to perform the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test? Autism Res 2022; 15:1311-1323. [PMID: 35384343 PMCID: PMC9325558 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Visuospatial organization abilities are closely related to other visuospatial processing skills, such as visuomotor coordination, perceptual abilities, mental rotation, and working memory (WM). One task that enables visuospatial organization abilities to be investigated is the Rey–Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCFT). When examining visuospatial functioning, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proved capable of operating both locally and globally, depending on the sub‐domain embraced, with a preference for a locally‐oriented processing of visuospatial information. The present research aimed to establish whether different underlying visuospatial skills might account for performance in the ROCFT in children and adolescents with ASD, compared with typically developing (TD), by considering the role of local/global visuospatial processing. The study involved 39 participants who have ASD without intellectual disability, and 57 TD aged 8–16 years. The participants were administered tasks assessing visuospatial organization abilities, manual dexterity, visual perception, mental rotation, spatial‐sequential, spatial‐simultaneous WM, and visuospatial processing. Our results suggest that manual dexterity and visuospatial processing similarly explain performance in both groups, while differences in visuospatial WM account for the two groups' visuospatial organization abilities. Spatial‐simultaneous WM predicted performance in copy and recall conditions in the TD group but not in the ASD group, while spatial‐sequential WM only did so in the latter group, reinforcing the tendency of children with ASD towards local bias in the visuospatial organization domain. The implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Cardillo
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova
| | - Rachele Lievore
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova
| | - Irene C Mammarella
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova
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Attout L, Noël MP, Rousselle L. Toward an integrative model accounting for typical and atypical development of visuospatial short-term memory. Child Neuropsychol 2020; 27:37-62. [PMID: 32703062 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2020.1793923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The origin of visuospatial short-term memory (STM) impairment is poorly investigated and is generally considered to be the result of a more global visuospatial deficit. However, previous studies suggest an important influence of two elements on performance in visuospatial STM tasks, the mode of presentation (i.e., simultaneous and sequential), and the visuospatial arrangement (structured vs. unstructured). With regards to a recent proposal, the aim of this study was to examine the development of the two modes of presentation and the visuospatial arrangement of visuospatial information in STM in a hundred typically developing participants aged from 4 years old to adults. Moreover, we also examined how the model explains the pattern of visuospatial STM deficit in two neurodevelopmental syndromes with different profiles in terms of STM abilities, namely Williams syndrome and Down syndrome. We found distinct performance for sequential and simultaneous presentation only from 11 years old with better performance in simultaneous than in sequential presentation mode and a sensitivity to visuospatial arrangement that increases with age. Both syndromes presented deficits at different levels, people with Williams syndrome for visuospatial arrangement and with Down syndrome for simultaneous visuospatial information in STM. The results demonstrate the importance to consider the influence of preexisting visuospatial knowledge on STM abilities. A two processing route model of STM is an interesting framework to interpret the different results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Attout
- Research Unit "Enfances", University of Liège , Liège, Belgium
| | - Marie-Pascale Noël
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Catholic University of Louvain , Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Abstract
Background: Autonomic dysfunctions may precede the development of cognitive impairment, but the connection between these dimensions is unclear. This systematic review aims to analyze the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive functions. Methods: The review process was conducted according to the PRISMA-Statement. Restrictions were made, selecting the studies in English and published in peer-review journals, including at least one cognitive measure and presenting the measurement of HRV. Studies that included participants with medical conditions, dementia, psychiatric disorders, strokes, and traumatic brain injury were excluded. Twenty studies were selected, with a total of 19,431 participants. The results were divided into different cognitive domains determined a priori: global cognitive functioning, attention, processing speed, executive functions, memory, language and visuospatial skills. Results: Both increased sympathetic activity and decreased parasympathetic activity seem to be associated with a worse performance in the cognitive domains considered, in the absence of dementia and severe cardiovascular diseases or other medical and psychiatric diseases. Conclusion: The results highlight the influence of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in cognitive functioning. However, the marked interest facing toward a specific domain, i.e., the executive functions, and the relatively small number of the studies on this topic do not allow understanding better this relationship. Despite these limits, HRV could be considered a promising early biomarker of cognitive impairment in populations without dementia or stroke. This index should be evaluated within a preventative perspective to minimize the risk of developing cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Forte
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Favieri
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Casagrande
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Dinamica e Clinica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Lambert K, Spinath B. Conservation Abilities, Visuospatial Skills, and Numerosity Processing Speed: Association With Math Achievement and Math Difficulties in Elementary School Children. J Learn Disabil 2018; 51:223-235. [PMID: 28118082 DOI: 10.1177/0022219417690354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between elementary school children's mathematical achievement and their conservation abilities, visuospatial skills, and numerosity processing speed. We also assessed differences in these abilities between children with different types of learning problems. In Study 1 ( N = 229), we investigated second to fourth graders and in Study 2 ( N = 120), third and fourth graders. Analyses revealed significant contributions of numerosity processing speed and visuospatial skills to math achievement beyond IQ. Conservation abilities were predictive in Study 1 only. Children with math difficulties showed lower visuospatial skills and conservation abilities than children with typical achievement levels and children with reading and/or spelling difficulties, whereas children with combined difficulties explicitly showed low conservation abilities. These findings provide further evidence for the relations between children's math skills and their visuospatial skills, conservation abilities, and processing speed and contribute to the understanding of deficits that are specific to mathematical difficulties.
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Menon C, Hall J, Hobson V, Johnson L, O’Bryant SE. Normative performance on the executive clock drawing task in a multi-ethnic bilingual cohort: a project FRONTIER study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2012; 27:959-66. [PMID: 22052628 PMCID: PMC4142441 DOI: 10.1002/gps.2810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The executive clock drawing task (CLOX) test is a neuropsychological measure intended to aid in the assessment and detection of dementia in older populations. Few studies have provided normative data for this measure, with even less research available regarding the impact of sociodemographic factors on test scores. This study presents normative data for the CLOX in a sample of English and Spanish-speaking Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. METHODS The total sample included 445 cognitively healthy older adults seen as part of an ongoing study of rural cognitive aging, project FRONTIER. Unlike previous studies, criteria for "normality" (i.e., unimpaired) for CLOX1 and CLOX2 were based not merely on global impairment, but also on domain-specific impairment of executive functioning on the Executive Interview 25-item Examination and/or Trail Making Test B, or visuospatial/constructional impairment on the Line Orientation and Figure Copy subtests of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, respectively. RESULTS Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that CLOX1 scores require adjustment by Age across ethnicities, whereas Education and Gender are necessary stratification markers for CLOX1 performance only in non-Hispanic Whites. None of the demographic variables were valid predictors of CLOX2 performance, negating the need for such adjustments. CONCLUSION In addition to being the first study to provide separate normative data for CLOX performance in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White samples, the current study offers a novel approach to defining "normal" by cognitive domain. We also highlight the need to directly examine the impact of sociodemographic factors before applying normative corrections based on factors that have negligible impact on test scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Menon
- Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
| | - James Hall
- Institute of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A
| | - Valerie Hobson
- Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
| | - Leigh Johnson
- Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, U.S.A
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
| | - Sid E. O’Bryant
- F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural & Community Health, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
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