Effects of age and military service on memory and cognitive flexibility in a virtual Morris water maze task

This study applied a virtual version of the Morris water maze (vMWM) task to an examination of age-related differences between younger and older participants, and the impact of prior military service in older men on spatial memory and cognitive flexibility. Participants performed the Logical Memory task that included immediate and delayed recalls, the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Test Battery that included tests and composites of fluid cognition and crystallized cognition, and cognitive tasks in a vMWM. Older individuals recalled fewer details than young immediately and with delay. For fluid cognition tasks, older individuals had lower uncorrected standard scores than young. In crystallized cognition tasks, older individuals had higher uncorrected standard scores than young, but older veterans had lower scores than civilians. Older individuals showed significantly higher proximities (more searching away from the platform), than young in probe trials and hidden trials for spatial memory, and in delayed match-to-place trials for working memory. Older individuals had higher proximity scores than young, and veterans showed higher proximity scores than civilians in reversal trials for cognitive flexibility and in the probe trial for working memory. This study provided novel findings that military service may have reduced cognitive flexibility and working memory later in life

Genetic Counselor Tailoring of Information about Genetic Conditions to Children and Adolescents

There is growing literature demonstrating the importance of effective and tailored healthcare communication with children and adolescents. This study aimed to understand how genetic counselors tailor their language and informational content when communicating genetic information to children and adolescents. Forty genetic counselors across specialties submitted audio recordings of themselves explaining a genetic condition of their choice to hypothetical patients of three different ages (5 years, 9 years, and 15 years old). Participants also filled out a survey assessing their attitudes and practices toward delivering genetic information to children and adolescents at differing developmental stages. Genetic explanations were assessed for language complexity and informational content and compared across the hypothetical patients’ age. Language complexity as measured by Flesch reading ease, Flesh-Kincaid grade level, words per sentence, word count, characters per word, and use of technical genetic language significantly increased with the age of the patient. Content analysis of the genetic explanations generated 16 themes. Of these themes, for all patient ages a majority of participants discussed the name of the genetic diagnosis, described symptoms/features, and explained medical management. Three content themes were explained significantly more frequently with increasing age of the patient, including explaining DNA and genes/chromosomes, disclosing the name of the genetic diagnosis, and explaining inheritance and recurrence risk. These results indicate that participating genetic counselors modified the language complexity and content of their genetic explanations to the developmental stage of their hypothetical patient. Genetic counselors surveyed generally expressed support for directly communicating with patients who are children/adolescents and valued tailoring language and content of explanations to the patient’s level of development. Despite this, some participants reported challenges in knowing how to communicate effectively with children/adolescents, having the engagement and attention of young patients, and having parents’/caregivers’ permission to speak directly with their children. Results of this study will have implications for future research that may support training interventions, guideline formation, funding for professional child development support, and/or self-awareness for genetic counselors