Rates of executive dysfunction in undergraduate research participants

It is infrequently recognized that healthy individuals occasionally obtain impaired scores on neuropsychological measures. This research was conducted to determine how often healthy undergraduate research participants obtain impaired scores on popular measures of executive functioning. Specifically, performance on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Trail Making and Color-Word Interference subtests was investigated in a sample of 335 undergraduate research participants. Rates of impaired performance varied across subtests and ranged from 11% (Color-Word Interference Word Reading) to 3% (Trail Making Test Motor Speed). In general, individuals with greater intellectual functioning had higher scores and fewer impaired scores. Findings are consistent with a broad literature describing the psychometric properties of neuropsychological measures. Researchers should recognize that it is relatively common to observe impaired scores in healthy research participants when interpreting research and clinical data

Development of the selection and manipulation of self-generated thoughts in adolescence

The ability to select and manipulate self-generated (stimulus-independent, SI), as opposed to stimulus-oriented (SO), information, in a controlled and flexible way has previously only been studied in adults. This ability is thought to rely in part on the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC), which continues to mature anatomically during adolescence. We investigated (1) the development of this ability behaviorally, (2) the associated functional brain development, and (3) the link between functional and structural maturation. Participants classified according to their shape letters either presented visually (SO phases) or that they generated in their head by continuing the alphabet sequence (SI phases). SI phases were performed in the presence or absence of distracting letters. A total of 179 participants (7–27 years old) took part in a behavioral study. Resistance to visual distractors exhibited small improvements with age. SI thoughts manipulation and switching between SI and SO thoughts showed steeper performance improvements extending into late adolescence. Thirty-seven participants (11–30 years old) took part in a functional MRI (fMRI) study. SI thought manipulation and switching between SO and SI thought were each associated with brain regions consistently recruited across age. A single frontal brain region in each contrast exhibited decreased activity with age: left inferior frontal gyrus/anterior insula for SI thought manipulation, and right superior RLPFC for switching between SO and SI thoughts. By integrating structural and functional data, we demonstrated that the observed functional changes with age were not purely consequences of structural maturation and thus may reflect the maturation of neurocognitive strategies

Transitioning Young Adults with Neurogenic Bladder – Are We Asking Too Much?

Introduction Significant numbers of young adults with chronic health conditions fail to transition. Objective We aimed to evaluate how ready urologic patients who have transitioned were actually prepared for that process. Due to the cognitive impairments frequently seen with spina bifida (SB), we hypothesize that these individuals will be less prepared to transition medical care to adult providers compared to their healthy counterparts. Methods Participants included consecutive patients in the transitional SB clinic at our institution and controls (college student without obvious physical disability or interest in healthcare related fields aged 18-25). Both groups were administered the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) over a nine-month period. Five TRAQ domains assess 20 skills necessary to transition. Likert scale responses range from 1 “No, I do not know how” to 5 “Yes, I always do this when I need to” (which we considered appropriate for transitioned patients). Demographics and the number of daily medications taken were collected. Patients and healthy controls were compared using 1) total and domain TRAQ scores, 2) the proportion of non-transitioned skills (“1”) and 3) fully transitioned skills (“5”). Non-parametric statistics were used. Results 43 unique SB patients (30.8% shunted, 46.5% female) and 100 controls were enrolled. SB patients were older than controls (21 vs 20 years, p<0.001). There was no gender difference between groups (p=0.33). Transitioned patients and college students were fully transitioned only in the “Talking with Providers” domain ( Figure ). College students performed significantly better than patients in the domains of “Appointment Keeping” (p=0.04) and “Tracking Health Issues” (p=0.02). Transitioned patients were less likely to be interested in learning how to perform skills in the domains of “Appointment Keeping” and “Tracking Health Issues” (p<0.001 for both domains). Discussion We describe the transition readiness of young adults with SB compared to healthy controls and other youths with chronic health conditions. Limitations include the small sample size, potentially limiting generalizability, as well as cross-sectional nature. Conclusion “Transitioned” patients with SB had lower TRAQ scores in some domains compared to healthy college students, who themselves had scores indicating that they were not fully ready for transition. Increased attention to transition readiness in people with SB is necessary, as even healthy young adults struggle with these tasks and are poorly prepared for transition

NIRS during cognitive tasks might predict drug response in OCD

Objective: We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) who showed different responses to pharmacotherapy during neuropsychological tasks with near-infrared spectroscopy. Subjects and methods: A total of 42 patients with OCD (mean age: 35.6±9.6 years, 14 men, 28 women) and healthy control subjects (mean age: 35.4±9.7 years, 13 men, 29 women) were selected. Patients with OCD were divided into three groups (responders to selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics, and nonresponders to SSRIs and SSRIs with antipsychotics) based on pharmacological response. We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the PFC of subjects during Stroop tasks and a verbal fluency test with near-infrared spectroscopy. Results: Responders to SSRIs showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during the Stroop incongruent task and verbal fluency test, but not during the Stroop congruent task. In contrast, responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during all three tasks. Conclusion: Our results suggest that activation of the PFC during Stroop tasks might predict responses to pharmacotherapy of patients with OCD

Usia Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Anak dalam Perspektif Neurolaw

Due to recent discoveries and technological advancements in neuroscience, we can gain a deeper understanding of the human brain that significantly impact juvenile criminal law, particularly concerning children's behavior and ability to regulate impulsive behavior. This study aims to analyze the current age of criminal responsibility in the Indonesian legal system using a neurolaw perspective that considers cognitive neuroscience and legal theory. The research utilizes normative legal research methodology with a statute approach and a neuroscience approach. The data obtained from literature research is then analyzed conceptually. The study results indicate that the age of criminal responsibility for children in Indonesia is 12 years; however, it has not yet reached 18 years. According to the neurolaw perspective, brain development within this age range is not fully matured and continues to undergo behavioral changes. This research implies the urgency of revising regulations regarding the age of criminal responsibility for children in Indonesia, considering the discoveries in neuroscience. Using a neurolaw perspective can encourage changes in legal policies that pay more attention to neurological factors in assessing juvenile criminal responsibility. As far as the law governs human behavior, the brain plays a crucial role in controlling that behavior. Therefore, a better understanding of the brain will lead to better and fairer laws

Relationships between the Color-Word Matching Stroop Task and the Go/NoGo Task:Toward Multifaceted Assessment of Attention and Inhibition Abilities of Children

Both selective attention and response inhibition can be assessed through the Stroop task and the Go/NoGo task (Go/NoGo). The color-word matching Stroop task (cwmStroop) differs from the traditional Stroop task in ways that make it easy to administer, and it enables the examiners to analyze reaction time. It is expected that the cwmStroop and Go/NoGo tasks will be useful as clinical assessments for children with developmental disorders and in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. The objectives of this study were to elucidate the pattern of developmental change in cwmStroop scores and Go/NoGo scores and to determine whether and how cwmStroop scores are related to Go/NoGo scores. The subjects consisted of 108 healthy Japanese children aged 6-14 years. We found that cwmStroop and Go/NoGo scores displayed clear developmental changes between 6 and 14 years of age. The childrenʼs scores on the 2 tasks followed different developmental courses, however, and the correlation between scores on the two tasks was weak on the whole. These results indicate that the cwmStroop and Go/NoGo tasks tap different aspects of selective attention and response inhibition. Therefore it is expected that the combination of both tests will be useful in the multifaceted assessment of selective attention and response inhibition in childhood

Developmental Changes of Prefrontal Activation in Humans: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Preschool Children and Adults

Previous morphological studies indicated that development of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to continue into late adolescence. Although functional brain imaging studies have sought to determine the time course of functional development of the PFC, it is unclear whether the developmental change occurs after adolescence to adulthood and when it achieves a peak because of the narrow or discontinuous range in the participant's age. Moreover, previous functional studies have not focused on the anterior frontal region, that is, the frontopolar regions (BA9/10). Thus, the present study investigated the developmental change in frontopolar PFC activation associated with letter fluency task by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in subjects from preschool children to adults. We analyzed the relative concentration of hemoglobin (ΔHb) in the prefrontal cortex measured during the activation task in 48 typically-developing children and adolescents and 22 healthy adults. Consistent with prior morphological studies, we found developmental change with age in the children/adolescents. Moreover, the average Δoxy-Hb in adult males was significantly larger than that in child/adolescent males, but was not true for females. These data suggested that functional development of the PFC continues into late adolescence. Although the developmental change of the frontopolar PFC was independent of gender from childhood to adolescence, in adulthood a gender difference was shown

The emergence of automaticity in reading: effects of orthographic depth and word decoding ability on an adjusted Stroop measure

Abstract Aims How long does it take for word reading to become automatic? Does the appearance and development of automaticity differ as a function of orthographic depth (e.g. French vs. English)? These questions were addressed in a longitudinal study of English and French beginning readers. The study focused on automaticity as obligatory processing as measured in the Stroop test. Method Measures of decoding ability and the Stroop effect were taken at three time points during the first grade (and 2nd grade in the UK) in 84 children. The study was the first to adjust the classic Stroop effect for inhibition (of distracting colors). Results The adjusted Stroop effect was zero in the absence of reading ability, and it was found to develop in tandem with decoding ability. After a further control for decoding, no effects of age or orthography were found on the adjusted Stroop measure. Conclusion The results are in line with theories of the development of whole word recognition that emphasize the importance of the acquisition of the basic orthographic code

The effects of a school-based physical activity intervention programme on children's executive control: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)

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