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The risk factors for post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment have been poorly described. This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics that characterize a group of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) participants with neuropsychological impairment. The study sample included 426 participants with PCC who underwent a neurobehavioral evaluation. We selected seven mental speed processing and executive function variables to obtain a data-driven partition. Clustering algorithms were applied, including K-means, bisecting K-means, and Gaussian mixture models. Different machine learning algorithms were then used to obtain a classifier able to separate the two clusters according to the demographic, clinical, emotional, and lifestyle variables, including logistic regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) (L1) and Ridge (L2) regularization, support vector machines (linear/quadratic/radial basis function kernels), and decision tree ensembles (random forest/gradient boosting trees). All clustering quality measures were in agreement in detecting only two clusters in the data based solely on cognitive performance. A model with four variables (cognitive reserve, depressive symptoms, obesity, and change in work situation) obtained with logistic regression with LASSO regularization was able to classify between good and poor cognitive performers with an accuracy and a weighted averaged precision of 72%, a recall of 73%, and an area under the curve of 0.72. PCC individuals with a lower cognitive reserve, more depressive symptoms, obesity, and a change in employment status were at greater risk for poor performance on tasks requiring mental processing speed and executive function., Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was supported by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Pandemies, 2020PANDE00053), the La Marató de TV3 Foundation (202111–30-31–32), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (TED2021-130409B-C55)., Peer Reviewed, Membres del NAUTILUS-Project Collaborative Group: Jose A. Bernia, Servei d’Anestesia Reanimació i Clinica del Dolor, Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (CST) (Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain). Vanesa Arauzo, Servei de Medicina Intensiva. Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (CST) (Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain). Marta Balague Marmaña, Hospital Sant Joan Despí Moisès Broggi, Consorci Sanitari Integral (Sant Joan Despí, Spain). Pérez-Pellejero, Cristian, Hospital Sant Joan Despí Moisès Broggi, Consorci Sanitari Integral (Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, Spain). Silvia Cañizares. Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain). Jose Antonio Lopez Muñoz. Occupational Health Care Service, Hospital Clínic (Barcelona, Spain). Jesús Caballero, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova (Lleida, Spain). Anna Carnes-Vendrell, Hospital Universitari de Santa Maria (Lleida, Spain). Gerard Piñol-Ripoll, Hospital Universitari de Santa Maria (Lleida, Spain). Ester Gonzalez-Aguado, Consorci Sanitari Alt Penedès-Garraf (Vilafranca de Penedés, Barcelona, Spain). Mar Riera-Pagespetit, Consorci Sanitari Alt Penedès-Garraf (Vilafranca de Penedés, Barcelona, Spain). Eva Forcadell-Ferreres, Hospital Verge de la Cinta, (Tortosa, Tarragona, Spain). Silvia Reverte-Vilarroya, Hospital Verge de la Cinta, (Tortosa, Tarragona, Spain). Susanna Forné, Fundació Sant Hospital de la Seu d’Urgell (La Seu d’Urgell, Lleida, Spain). Jordina Muñoz-Padros, Consorci Hospitalari de Vic (Vic, Barcelona, Spain). Anna Bartes-Plan, Consorci Hospitalari de Vic (Vic, Barcelona, Spain). Jose A. Muñoz-Moreno, Servei de Malalties Infeccioses, Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions—Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (Badalona, Barcelona, Spain). Anna Prats-Paris, Servei de Malalties Infeccioses, Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions—Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (Badalona, Barcelona, Spain). Inmaculada Rico Pons, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain). Judit Martínez Molina, Hospital, Postprint (published version)

The current study investigates the role of teacher behaviors in toddlers' executive function development. Teachers' (N = 215) emotional and behavioral support and instructional support were observed through classroom observations when children were 2 years old. Selective attention, verbal short-term memory, and visuospatial working memory of children (N = 876, 48.4% female) were assessed at age 2 (Mage = 28.60 months, SD = 2.83) and 3 (Mage = 42.38 months, SD = 2.47). Teachers' instructional support positively predicted growth in selective attention, but not verbal short-term memory or visuospatial working memory. Teachers' emotional and behavioral support did not predict the growth in executive function measures. Findings have implications for understanding the role of teacher-child interactions in executive function development in toddlerhood.

BACKGROUND: Pathologic perivascular spaces (PVS), the fluid-filled compartments surrounding brain vasculature, may underlie cognitive decline in Parkinsons disease (PD). However, whether this impacts specific cognitive domains has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship of PVS volume at baseline with domain-specific and global cognitive change over 2 years in PD individuals. METHODS: A total of 39 individuals with PD underwent 3T T1w magnetic resonance imaging to determine PVS volume fraction (PVS volume normalized to total regional volume) within (i) centrum semiovale, (ii) prefrontal white matter (medial orbitofrontal, rostral middle frontal, and superior frontal), and (iii) basal ganglia. A neuropsychological battery included assessment of cognitive domains and global cognitive function at baseline and after 2 years. RESULTS: Higher basal ganglia PVS at baseline was associated with greater decline in attention, executive function, and global cognition scores. CONCLUSIONS: While previous reports have associated elevated PVS volume in the basal ganglia with decline in global cognition in PD, our findings show such decline may affect the attention and executive function domains.

This thesis comprises two studies (with the second study building upon the first) to assess core components of executive function orthogonally. Executive function can be defined as the combination of goal representation in working memory and the inhibition of goal-irrelevant responses stimuli. Both studies employed a paradigm with two tasks assessing working memory and inhibitory control processes concurrently. The modified Flanker task measured working memory and interference control, while the modified Spatial Conflict task measured working memory and response inhibition. The thesis aimed to examine main effects of memory and inhibitory load in each task when assessed concurrently, explore potential over-additive interactions between these executive function components, and investigate correlations between autistic traits in the general population and task performance. In each study with 100 participants aged 18-25, Study 1 found that in the Flanker task, how quickly people reacted was significantly affected by the demands on working memory and inhibitory control. In the Spatial Conflict task, the time it took to react was strongly influenced by whether the presented information matched or conflicted (congruency). There's some suggestion that memory played a role, especially in incongruent trials (when the information conflicted). When it came to accuracy, congruency had a strong impact, but memory didn't seem to affect it. In Study 2, significant progress was achieved through the implemented modifications. In the Spatial Conflict task, effects on reaction time were observed due to both memory and congruency load, and accuracy showed meaningful influence from congruency. Moderate evidence supporting a memory effect, particularly in congruent trials, was noted in accuracy. The Flanker task revealed a memory effect in both reaction time and accuracy. However, there was no evidence of a congruency effect in accuracy, and the congruency effect in reaction

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe college student stress experiences that impact executive function (EF) and cognition at one community college in California. The conceptual framework guiding this study was cognition and executive function concepts that are impacted by the stressed learning experience. The central research question asked: What was the lived experience of EF deficits for stressed college students when learning content from instructional design (ID)? The methodology employed a qualitative phenomenological study that sampled 13 college students who self-identified as experiencing stress during the learning cycle. The research was conducted via the Internet and Confer Zoom within one California community college. Data collection included a writing prompt, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. The analysis approach employed Moustakas’ (1994) modification of Van Kaam’s data analysis through detailed descriptions of the stress impact on the learning lived experiences. The results provided rich descriptions of participant stress occurrences affecting EF and information processing, compounded by ID impact and conflicting learner preferences.

OBJECTIVE: To replicate a seven-factor model previously reported for the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). METHOD: This study used the D-KEFS standardization sample including 1,750 non-clinical participants. Several seven-factor models previously reported for the D-KEFS were re-evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Previously published bi-factor models were also tested. These models were compared with a three-factor a priori model based on Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory. Measurement invariance was examined across three age cohorts. RESULTS: All previously reported models failed to converge when tested with CFA. None of the bi-factor models converged after large numbers of iterations, suggesting that bi-factor models are ill-suited to represent the D-KEFS scores as reported in the test manual. Although poor fit was initially observed for the three-factor CHC model, inspection of modification indices showed potential for improvement by including method effects via correlated residuals for scores derived from similar tests. The final CHC model showed good to excellent fit and strong metric measurement invariance across the three age cohorts with minor exceptions for a subset of Fluency parameters. CONCLUSIONS: CHC theory extends to the D-KEFS, supporting findings from previous studies that executive functions can be integrated into CHC theory.

According to the embodiment theory of development, motor and cognitive development co-occur in early childhood (Gottwald et al., 2016). An abundance of research has especially focused on the co-development of motor skills and executive functioning (Spedden et al., 2017). Executive function refers to a cognitive process that involves the combination of working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility and is closely related to attention and problem solving (Diamond & Lee, 2011). Executive function has also been related to electrophysiological data in preschool aged children (e.g., Broomell & Bell, 2018). However, little is known about how physical activity may impact executive function as well as the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these changes cognition. A systematic review of the literature proposed the idea that the reason physical activity impacts executive functioning skills is that most physical activity involves complex motor tasks (Best, 2010). Other researchers have focused on the influence of physical activity on brain activation as the potential mechanism for improved executive function (Best, 2010; Best & Miller, 2010). There is a lack of consensus on how and why executive function, physical activity, frontal activation, and motor skills relate as well as limited understanding in the literature on how physical activity and motor skills may impact the development of executive function, especially in lower socioeconomic populations. This study aimed to gain insight into the relationship among these variables and determine what mechanisms may be responsible for gains in executive function during this age range. Preschool participants (N=66) were recruited from Head Start programs located in Jackson and Haywood counties. Parents who consented completed the Pre-PAQ, Vineland-3, and a demographic questionnaire while teachers completed the BRIEF-P in February of 2022. In May of 2022, preschool participant’s completed executive

This Dissertation investigated the interplay between executive function, creative thinking, and examples. Over 200 participants completed this experiment consisting of a battery of five creative thinking tasks and a battery of seven executive function tasks. All participants completed two different versions of each of the creative thinking tasks, one version with the help of examples to get them started on idea generation and one version without the help of examples. Data were analyzed both as latent and observed variables. Key results indicated that: (1) participants generated ideas that were rated as more creative when they had the help of examples than when they did not have examples; (2) executive function (particularly inhibition) was positively related to creativity in both conditions; (3) the role of executive function was not observed to depend on whether examples were involved in the idea generation process; and (4) conformity to examples was not observed to mediate the relation between executive function and creativity.

Elrika Anastasia Wijaya, Purboyo Solek, Dedi Rachmadi, Sri Endah Rahayuningsih, Rodman Tarigan, Dany Hilmanto Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Dany Hilmanto, Tel +628122266879, Email danyhilmanto@yahoo.comIntroduction: As the highest function in the brain that regulates our daily activity, executive dysfunction might affect someone’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially in those with chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Neurocognitive functions, including intelligence quotient (IQ) and executive function can be affected through various mechanisms in CKD. However, there was still no specific study regarding how IQ and executive function might affect HRQoL in children with CKD.Purpose: To assess Executive Function’s impact on HRQoL and to find association between treatment modalities and CKD stages with HRQoL in children with CKD.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at Pediatric Nephrology Clinic at Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia from September 2022 to April 2023. We included 38 children whose age range were 6– 16 years 11 months old with CKD stage III – V. Assessment tools used were: BRIEF questionnaire for executive function; WISC III tool for IQ; PedsQLTM questionnaire generic module for HRQoL. Data was analyzed using SPSS ver. 26.0.Results: Total number of samples was 38. Complete examinations were done on 30 patients. Eight other patients did not undergo the IQ test. There was a negative correlation between executive function components scores (GEC, BRI, MI) with HRQoL scores on parents’ proxy in all domains. We found no correlation between HRQoL and IQ scores, but we found a correlation between IQ and CKD stage. There was a significant difference in HRQoL from the children’s perspective among the three modalities; children who underwent conservative treatment were having

Rongcui Sui,1– 3 Jie Li,4 Yunhan Shi,1– 3 Shizhen Yuan,1– 3 Huijun Wang,1– 3 Jianhong Liao,1– 3 Xiang Gao,1– 3 Demin Han,1– 3 Yanru Li,1– 3 Xingjun Wang4 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome Clinical Diagnosis and Therapy and Research Centre, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Demin Han; Yanru Li, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, 1 Dongjiaominxiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email deminhan_ent@hotmail.com; liyanruru@aliyun.comPurpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep spindle metrics and executive function in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Furthermore, we examined the association of age and education on executive function.Patients and Methods: A total of 230 (40.90 ± 8.83 years, F/M = 45/185) participants were enrolled. Overnight electroencephalogram (C3-M2) recording detected sleep spindles by a novel U-Net-type neural network that integrates temporal information with time-frequency images. Sleep spindle metrics, including frequency (Hz), overall density (events/min), fast density (events/min), slow density (events/min), duration (sec) and amplitude (μV), were measured. Executive function was assessed using standardized neuropsychological tests. Associations between sleep spindle metrics, executive function, and demographic factors were analyzed using multivariate linear regression.Results: In fully adjusted linear regression models, higher overall sleep spindl

Contains fulltext : 305347.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Executive function, an umbrella term used to describe the goal-directed regulation of thoughts, actions, and emotions, is an important dimension implicated in neurodiversity and established malleable predictor of multiple adult outcomes. Neurodevelopmental differences have been linked to both executive function strengths and weaknesses, but evidence for associations between specific profiles of executive function and specific neurodevelopmental conditions is mixed. In this exploratory study, we adopt an unsupervised machine learning approach (self-organising maps), combined with k-means clustering to identify data-driven profiles of executive function in a transdiagnostic sample of 566 neurodivergent children aged 8-18 years old. We include measures designed to capture two distinct aspects of executive function: performance-based tasks designed to tap the state-like efficiency of cognitive skills under optimal conditions, and behaviour ratings suited to capturing the trait-like application of cognitive control in everyday contexts. Three profiles of executive function were identified: one had consistent difficulties across both types of assessments, while the other two had inconsistent profiles of predominantly rating- or predominantly task-based difficulties. Girls and children without a formal diagnosis were more likely to have an inconsistent profile of primarily task-based difficulties. Children with these different profiles had differences in academic achievement and mental health outcomes and could further be differentiated from a comparison group of children on both shared and profile-unique patterns of neural white matter organisation. Importantly, children's executive function profiles were not directly related to diagnostic categories or to dimensions of neurodiversity associated with specific diagnoses (e.g., hyperactivity, inattention, social communication). These findings support the idea that the two types of executive function assessments provide non

The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of a programme for the stimulation of executive functions (Programa para la Estimulación de las Funciones Ejecutivas — PEFEN) in preschool children (aged five years) with no pathologies. A total of 40 children participated. They were distributed into two groups (intervention and control groups) and were evaluated at two different moments in time (before and after the intervention) using the Child Neuropsychological Maturity Questionnaire (CUMANIN) and the Behavior Rating Instrument of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P). The programme’s duration was three months. The results revealed statistically significant differences between both groups in the subscales of psychomotricity, spatial structuring and visual perception of the CUMANIN as well as in the emotional control subscale of BRIEF-P. In conclusion, the intervention group presented higher scores in different neuropsychological domains related to executive functions. This research seems to suggest that programmes such as PEFEN may be useful to improve and stimulate the EFs of normal developing children who do not present any difficulties., El objetivo de este estudio era probar la eficacia de un programa para la estimulación de las funciones ejecutivas (PEFEN) en preescolares (cinco años) sin patologías. En el estudio participaron 40 niños y niñas que fueron distribuidos en dos grupos (grupo de intervención y grupo de control) y evaluados en dos momentos distintos (antes y después de la intervención), utilizando el cuestionario de Madurez Neuropsicológica Infantil (CUMANIN) y la escala de Evaluación Conductual de la Función Ejecutiva-versión infantil (BRIEF-P). El programa tuvo una duración de tres meses. Los resultados revelaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambos grupos en las subescalas de psicomotricidad, estructuración espacial y percepción visual del CUMANIN, así como en la subescala de control emocional de la escala BRIEF-P. En conclusión, el grupo de intervención presentó puntuaciones más altas en distintos ámbitos neuropsicológicos relacionados con las funciones ejecutivas. Esta investigación parece sugerir que programas como el PEFEN pueden contribuir a mejorar y estimular las funciones ejecutivas de los niños con un desarrollo normal y sin ningún déficit neuropsicológico.

Digital technology in primary education can both be distracting and increase attentiveness. Many students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) have difficulties with skills that address attention, and teachers are expected to provide support. Such skills are referred to as Executive Function (EF) in neuroscience, relating to self-regulation, attention shifting, and inhibition of behavior. This systematic literature review outlines research on primary education during 2000–2022 that relates students’ EF and digital technology through empirical data and suggested SEN-inclusive educational interventions. 288 full-text journal articles were assessed, and 26 were included for analysis. Findings include common game-based solutions for EF and SEN support, enabling explicit goals, short teaching activities, and recorded outcomes. Other examples include EF skills training and classroom management with digital monitoring devices. A substantially increased research interest during 2021–2022 was observed. Aspects needing further research are discussed, such as more special education views with cost-effective behavioral approaches.

This research investigated the impact explicit instruction of problem-solving skills has on improving executive function and reducing disruptive behaviors among elementary school students. Grounded in the recognition of socio-emotional deficits as indicators to academic and behavioral challenges, this research approached the deficit of socio-emotional and problem-solving skills by testing symbols, socio-emotional worksheets, and problem-solving lessons. Ten second-grade students, exhibiting difficulties in emotional regulation and executive functioning, participated in the study, guided by a teacher-researcher. The methods included the implementation of symbols for non-disruptive communication of needs, socio-emotional worksheets to scaffold problem-solving skills, and weekly problem-solving lessons. Data collection methods included pre- and post-questionnaires, a tally chart documenting the quantity of interruptions, and records of student-reported issues during unstructured times. Findings indicated a slight discrepancy between students' self-perceptions and observed behaviors, emphasizing the importance of recognizing a problem. The tally chart system helped students to quantify disruptive behaviors and promoted self-awareness, resulting in a noticeable reduction in interruptions during academic times. Socio-emotional worksheets and problem-solving lessons enhanced students' independent problem-solving skills and emotional regulation. All interventions contributed to a substantial decrease in disruptive behaviors and an observed increase in problem-solving skills.

Background: Previous findings from the Swissped RECOVERY trial showed that patients with Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome-Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) who were randomly assigned to intravenous immunoglobulins or methylprednisolone have a comparable length of hospital stay. Here, we report the 6-month follow-up outcomes of cardiac pathologies and normalisation of clinical or laboratory signs of inflammation from this study population. Methods: This pre-planned follow-up of patients with PIMS-TS included the Swissped RECOVERY Trial reports on the 6-month outcomes of the cohort after randomisation, with a focus on cardiac, haematological, and biochemical findings. The trial was an investigator-initiated randomised multicentre open-label two-arm trial in children and adolescents hospitalised with PIMS-TS at ten hospitals in Switzerland. Cardiological assessments and laboratory analyses were prospectively collected in the intention-to-treat analysis on pre-defined intervals after hospital discharge. Differences between randomised arms were investigated using Chi-square test for categorical and Wilcoxon test for continuous variables. The trial is registered with the Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP000004720) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04826588). Findings: Between May 21, 2021 and April 15, 2022, 75 patients with a median age of 9.1 years (IQR 6.2-12.2) were included in the intention-to-treat population (37 in the methylprednisolone group and 38 in the intravenous immunoglobulin group). During follow-up, the incidence of abnormal left ventricular systolic function, coronary artery aneurysms (CAA), and other signs of inflammation were comparable in both groups. However, we detected cardiac abnormalities with low incidence and a mild degree grade of pathology. CAAs were observed in 2/38 children (5.3%) in the IVIG group and 1/37 children (2.7%) in the methylprednisolone group at 6-month follow-up (difference proportion 0.75; 95% conf

Background: Executive functions (EF) help the individual to manage thoughts and actions to achieve specific goals. The importance of EF may play a pivotal role in the performance of an athlete, in certain types of sports, allowing athletes to make tactical and quick decisions while maintaining focus under pressure. Many researchers have presented a clear result in their studies, indicating that athletes have better EF in comparison with non-athletes which means that physical activity (PA) in the form of exercise related to sport could beneficially influence EF. Still, there is a knowledge gap concerning whether moderate PA beyond regular training acutely could enhance EF performance in athletes. Aim: The aim of this study was to test the acute effect of moderate PA on EF in female soccer players. A second aim was to study the association between two different tests measuring EF, the Digit Span Tasks (DST) and Trail Making Tests (TMT) Method: In an experimental intervention design 14 active, healthy female young soccer players were tested on two occasions. Data was collected on EF from two different tests: DST (forward and backward) measuring in digits, and TMT (TMT-A and TMT-B) measuring in time (sec) pre and post performing a moderate PA. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranged test was used to study differences pre and post PA, and Spearman’s correlation was used to analyze the association between the different EF tests. Results: The participants had a mean ± SD age 21 years ± 3. No statistically significant differences were found in DST forward pre and post PA (p=0.705), or DST backward (p=0.083). In addition, no statistically significant differences were found in TMT-A pre and post PA (p=0.245), or in TMT-B (p=0.124). The association between DST forward and TMT-A post PA indicated a high negative correlation (r = - 0.653), and association between DST backward and TMT-B post PA indicated a moderate negative correlation (r = - 0.334). Conclusion: There were no significan

Background: Executive functions (EF) help the individual to manage thoughts and actions to achieve specific goals. The importance of EF may play a pivotal role in the performance of an athlete, in certain types of sports, allowing athletes to make tactical and quick decisions while maintaining focus under pressure. Many researchers have presented a clear result in their studies, indicating that athletes have better EF in comparison with non-athletes which means that physical activity (PA) in the form of exercise related to sport could beneficially influence EF. Still, there is a knowledge gap concerning whether moderate PA beyond regular training acutely could enhance EF performance in athletes. Aim: The aim of this study was to test the acute effect of moderate PA on EF in female soccer players. A second aim was to study the association between two different tests measuring EF, the Digit Span Tasks (DST) and Trail Making Tests (TMT) Method: In an experimental intervention design 14 active, healthy female young soccer players were tested on two occasions. Data was collected on EF from two different tests: DST (forward and backward) measuring in digits, and TMT (TMT-A and TMT-B) measuring in time (sec) pre and post performing a moderate PA. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranged test was used to study differences pre and post PA, and Spearman’s correlation was used to analyze the association between the different EF tests. Results: The participants had a mean ± SD age 21 years ± 3. No statistically significant differences were found in DST forward pre and post PA (p=0.705), or DST backward (p=0.083). In addition, no statistically significant differences were found in TMT-A pre and post PA (p=0.245), or in TMT-B (p=0.124). The association between DST forward and TMT-A post PA indicated a high negative correlation (r = - 0.653), and association between DST backward and TMT-B post PA indicated a moderate negative correlation (r = - 0.334). Conclusion: There were no significan

Shan-Wen Liu,1 Xiao-Ting Ma,1 Shuai Yu,2 Xiao-Fen Weng,3 Meng Li,4 Jiangtao Zhu,4 Chun-Feng Liu,1 Hua Hu1 1Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, 215000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Geriatric Medicine, the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, 215000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Imaging, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hua Hu, Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 1055 San Xiang Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, 215004, People’s Republic of China, Email sz_huhua@126.comObjective: To investigate the correlation between specific fiber tracts and grip strength and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by fixel-based analysis (FBA).Methods: AD patients were divided into AD with low grip strength (AD-LGS, n=29) and AD without low grip strength (AD-nLGS, n=25), along with 31 normal controls (NC). General data, neuropsychological tests, grip strength and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were collected. FBA evaluated white matter (WM) fiber metrics, including fiber density (FD), fiber cross-sectional (FC), and fiber density and cross-sectional area (FDC). The mean fiber indicators of the fiber tracts of interest (TOI) were extracted in cerebral region of significant statistical differences in FBA to further compare the differences between groups and analyze the correlation between fiber properties and neuropsychological test scores.Results: Compared to AD-nLGS group, AD-LGS group showed significant reductions in FDC in several cerebral regions. In AD patients, FDC values of bilateral uncinate fasciculus and left superior l

Executive function encompasses effortful cognitive processes that are particularly susceptible to aging. Functional brain networks supporting executive function-such as the frontoparietal control network and the multiple demand system-have been extensively investigated. However, it remains unclear how structural networks facilitate and constrain the dynamics of functional networks to contribute to aging-related executive function declines. We examined whether changes in structural network modal controllability-a network's ability to facilitate effortful brain state transitions that support cognitive functions-are associated with changes in executive function cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Diffusion-weighted imaging and neuropsychological testing were conducted at two time points (Time 1: ages 56 to 66, N = 172; Time 2: ages 61 to 70, N = 267) in community-dwelling men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. An executive function factor score was computed from six neuropsychological tasks. Structural networks constructed from white matter connectivity were used to estimate modal controllability in control network and multiple demand system. We showed that higher modal controllability in control network and multiple demand system was associated with better executive function at Time 2, after controlling for age, young adult general cognitive ability, and physical health status. Moreover, changes in executive function over a period of 5 to 6 years (Time 1-Time 2, N = 105) were associated with changes in modal controllability of the multiple demand system and weakly in the control network over the same time period. These findings suggest that changes in the ability of structural brain networks in facilitating effortful brain state transitions may be a key neural mechanism underlying aging-related executive function declines and cognitive aging.

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD), Hemispherectomy (HE) is an invasive neurosurgical approach used in youth with intractable epilepsy to control seizure frequency and enhance quality of life. Given the relatively rare occurrence of HE, the long-term outcomes are neither well-researched nor well-understood. Particularly unclear are the cognitive outcomes experienced in adulthood by those who underwent HE as children or adolescents, especially in the domain of executive functioning (EF). In the present study, I examined EF as measured by the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) in nine adults who underwent HE in childhood or adolescence. It was hypothesized that participants would perform significantly below the normative population on 11 primary measures of the nine DKEFS tests. Results revealed significantly lower performances across participants on the Trail Making Test (Number-Letter Switching) as well as the Color-Word Interference Test (Inhibition/Switching). Additionally, a significant proportion of performances were at least 1 standard deviation below the normative mean for Design Fluency (Switching Total Correct) and Color-Word Inference (Inhibition/Switching). Secondary analyses showed that found side of HE did not significantly impact performance. These current findings suggest difficulty with response inhibition and cognitive flexibility in this sample, the latter of which may be partially impacted by impaired performances on tasks involving lower-level cognitive abilities (e.g., visual scanning, motor speed). Such aspects of EF may represent targets for intervention and support post-HE, though continued research on the long-term and specific cognitive effects of HE is needed.

AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.

ObjectiveAlzheimer's disease (AD) is highly heritable, and AD polygenic risk scores (AD-PRSs) have been derived from genome-wide association studies. However, the nature of genetic influences very early in the disease process is still not well known. Here we tested the hypothesis that an AD-PRSs would be associated with changes in episodic memory and executive function across late midlife in men who were cognitively unimpaired at their baseline midlife assessment..MethodWe examined 1168 men in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) who were cognitively normal (CN) at their first of up to three assessments across 12 years (mean ages 56, 62, and 68). Latent growth models of episodic memory and executive function were based on 6-7 tests/subtests. AD-PRSs were based on Kunkle et al. (Nature Genetics, 51, 414-430, 2019), p < 5×10-8 threshold.ResultsAD-PRSs were correlated with linear slopes of change for both cognitive abilities. Men with higher AD-PRSs had steeper declines in both memory (r = -.19, 95% CI [-.35, -.03]) and executive functioning (r = -.27, 95% CI [-.49, -.05]). Associations appeared driven by a combination of APOE and non-APOE genetic influences.ConclusionsMemory is most characteristically impaired in AD, but executive functions are one of the first cognitive abilities to decline in midlife in normal aging. This study is among the first to demonstrate that this early decline also relates to AD genetic influences, even in men CN at baseline.

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature, Patients with post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) conditions typically experience cognitive problems. Some studies have linked COVID-19 severity with long-term cognitive damage, while others did not observe such associations. This discrepancy can be attributed to methodological and sample variations. We aimed to clarify the relationship between COVID-19 severity and long-term cognitive outcomes and determine whether the initial symptomatology can predict long-term cognitive problems. Cognitive evaluations were performed on 109 healthy controls and 319 post-COVID individuals categorized into three groups according to the WHO clinical progression scale: severe-critical (n¿=¿77), moderate-hospitalized (n¿=¿73), and outpatients (n¿=¿169). Principal component analysis was used to identify factors associated with symptoms in the acute-phase and cognitive domains. Analyses of variance and regression linear models were used to study intergroup differences and the relationship between initial symptomatology and long-term cognitive problems. The severe-critical group performed significantly worse than the control group in general cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), executive function (Digit symbol, Trail Making Test B, phonetic fluency), and social cognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes test). Five components of symptoms emerged from the principal component analysis: the “Neurologic/Pain/Dermatologic” “Digestive/Headache”, “Respiratory/Fever/Fatigue/Psychiatric” and “Smell/ Taste” components were predictors of Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores; the “Neurologic/Pain/Dermatologic” component predicted attention and working memory; the “Neurologic/Pain/Dermatologic” and “Respiratory/Fever/Fatigue/Psychiatric” components predicted verbal memory, and the “Respiratory/Fever/Fatigue/Psychiatric,” “Neurologic/Pain/Dermatologic,” and “Digestive/Headache” components predicted executive function. Patients with severe COVID-19 exhibited persistent deficits in executive fun, This research was supported by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Pandemies, 202PANDE00053) and La Marató de TV3 Foundation (202111-30-31-32)., Peer Reviewed, Article signat per 16 autors/es: Mar Ariza, Neus Cano, Bàrbara Segura, Ana Adan, Núria Bargalló, Xavier Caldú, Anna Campabadal, Maria Angeles Jurado, Maria Mataró, Roser Pueyo, Roser Sala‑Llonch, Cristian Barrué, Javier Bejar, Claudio Ulises Cortés on behalf of NAUTILUS Project Collaborative Group, Maite Garolera Carme Junqué, Postprint (published version)

BackgroundStudies have investigated white matter microstructure in relation to late-life cognitive impairments, with fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) measures thought to capture demyelination and axonal degradation. However, new post-processing methods allow isolation of free water (FW), which captures extracellular fluid contributions such as atrophy and neuroinflammation, from tissue components. FW also appears to be highly relevant to late-life cognitive impairment. Here, we evaluated whether executive functions are associated with FW, and FA and MD corrected for FW (FAFWcorr and MDFWcorr).MethodWe examined 489 non-demented men in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) at mean age 68. Two latent factors capturing 'common executive function' and 'working-memory specific' processes were estimated based on 6 tasks. Analyses focused on 11 cortical white matter tracts across three metrics: FW, FAFWcorr, and MDFWcorr.ResultsBetter 'common executive function' was associated with lower FW across 9 of the 11 tracts. There were no significant associations with intracellular metrics after false discovery rate correction. Effects also appeared driven by individuals with MCI (13.7% of the sample). Working memory-specific tasks showed some associations with FAFWcorr, including the triangularis portion of the inferior frontal gyrus. There was no evidence that cognitive reserve (i.e., general cognitive ability assessed in early adulthood) moderated these associations between executive function and FW or FA.DiscussionExecutive function abilities in early old age are associated primarily with extracellular fluid (FW) as opposed to white matter (FAFWcorr or MDFWcorr). Moderation analyses suggested cognitive reserve does not play a strong role in these associations, at least in this sample of non-demented men.

AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.

AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.

Ishikawa M., Moriguchi Y., Kanakogi Y.. Relationship between executive function and persistence in 5-year-olds. Cognitive Development 67, 101361 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2023.101361., Children's persistence can predict later academic achievement. However, few studies have examined the factors related to individual differences in persistence. In this study, we investigated the relationship between executive function (EF) and persistence in 5-year-olds (N = 72). The scores of the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task and gift delay task were positively associated with persistence. We conducted a mediation analysis to examine the cognitive mechanisms underlying the associations between EF and persistence. This analysis revealed that children with high scores on the DCCS task, used multiple strategies for the persistence task, and this contributed to their persistence. We also found that children with high scores on the gift delay task concentrated on the task without getting distracted, and this approach contributed to their persistence. Thus, our findings reveal the factors related to individual differences in persistence and cognitive mechanisms underlying these associations between EF and persistence.

AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.

AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drumming programme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, and perceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South African setting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individually randomised. The intervention arm (n = 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions. Controls (n = 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using rates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reported acceptability. Secondary measures included: five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function (OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were within green progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positive effect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were no significant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitative findings suggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma; improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable intervention amongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.

We examined the effect of amount of muscle mass involved in moderate-intensity continuous physical exercise on executive function. To this end, fifty-five participants completed two acute physical exercise sessions on an airbike ergometer using the upper and lower limbs simultaneously and only the upper limbs, and a resting control session in a randomized order. The physical exercise session lasted 30 min and was performed at moderate intensity (between 64 %-76 % of maximal heart rate evaluated in graded maximal exercise testing). Participants took the Stroop test (congruent and incongruent trials) before and after the sessions to assess executive performance. For the congruent trial, both physical exercise interventions improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value = 0.002 and 0.003 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). Furthermore, executive function performance was higher after the physical exercise interventions than after the control session (p-value = 0.002 and 0.004 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). For the incongruent trial, both physical exercise interventions also improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value < 0.001 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). However, there were no significant differences after both physical exercise interventions and resting control session (p-value = 0.175). Executive function (congruent trial) was positively impacted by acute aerobic physical exercise regardless of the amount of muscle mass involved (upper limbs or upper plus lower limbs). Therefore, we recommend aerobic physical exercise with less or more muscle mass involved to improve cognitive function.

The aim of the current systematic review is (1) to examine theoretical frameworks and mechanisms explaining the association between parental and teacher behaviors and child executive function (EF) development, and (2) to compare and combine empirical findings for the relationship between parental and teacher behaviors and child EF development in early and middle childhood. Results revealed that theoretical frameworks have been established more strongly in the parent literature and parental behaviors have been more extensively studied with more diverse terms compared to studies in teacher literature. Overall, patterns of findings suggest that positive (e.g., emotional support) and cognitive parental/teacher behaviors (e.g., cognitive stimulation) were positively linked to child EF performance while negative behaviors (e.g., intrusiveness) were adversely related. Considering the similar roles of parents and teachers in child EF development, insights from parent literature could enable a better understanding of the impact of teacher behaviors on child EF (and vice versa), and opens new venues for future teacher research. Moreover, these findings suggest that, in addition to genetic transmission, social factors such as parent/teacher-child interactions play a significant role in EF development. Future research should investigate the joint influence of parent and teacher behaviors on child EF.

Introduction Listening and communication difficulties can limit people’s participation in activity and adversely affect their quality of life. Hearing, as well as listening and communication difficulties, can be measured either by using behavioural tests or self-report measures, and the outcomes are not always closely linked. The association between behaviourally measured and self-reported hearing is strong, whereas the association between behavioural and self-reported measures of listening and communication difficulties is much weaker, suggesting they assess different aspects of listening. While behavioural measures of listening and communication difficulties have been associated with poorer cognitive performance including executive functions, the same association has not always been shown for self-report measures. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to understand the relationship between executive function and self-reported listening and communication difficulties in adults with hearing loss, and where possible, potential covariates of age and pure-tone audiometric thresholds. Methods and analysis Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they report data from both a self-report measure of listening difficulties and a behavioural measure of executive function. Eight databases are to be searched: MEDLINE (via Ovid SP), EMBASE (via Ovid SP), PsycINFO (via Ovid SP), ASSIA (via ProQuest), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature or CINAHL (via EBSCO Host), Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index). The JBI critical appraisal tool will be used to assess risk of bias for included studies. Results will be synthesised primarily using a meta-analysis, and where sufficient quantitative data are not available, a narrative synthesis will be carried out to describe key results. Ethics and dissemination No ethical issues are foreseen. Data will be disseminated via academic publication and conference pr, Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [CDF- 2018- 11- ST2- 016, PB- PG- 0816- 20044]; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203310]; NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203308]; Swedish Research Council [2017- 06092]

Introduction Listening and communication difficulties can limit people’s participation in activity and adversely affect their quality of life. Hearing, as well as listening and communication difficulties, can be measured either by using behavioural tests or self-report measures, and the outcomes are not always closely linked. The association between behaviourally measured and self-reported hearing is strong, whereas the association between behavioural and self-reported measures of listening and communication difficulties is much weaker, suggesting they assess different aspects of listening. While behavioural measures of listening and communication difficulties have been associated with poorer cognitive performance including executive functions, the same association has not always been shown for self-report measures. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to understand the relationship between executive function and self-reported listening and communication difficulties in adults with hearing loss, and where possible, potential covariates of age and pure-tone audiometric thresholds. Methods and analysis Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they report data from both a self-report measure of listening difficulties and a behavioural measure of executive function. Eight databases are to be searched: MEDLINE (via Ovid SP), EMBASE (via Ovid SP), PsycINFO (via Ovid SP), ASSIA (via ProQuest), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature or CINAHL (via EBSCO Host), Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index). The JBI critical appraisal tool will be used to assess risk of bias for included studies. Results will be synthesised primarily using a meta-analysis, and where sufficient quantitative data are not available, a narrative synthesis will be carried out to describe key results. Ethics and dissemination No ethical issues are foreseen. Data will be disseminated via academic publication and conference pr, Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [CDF- 2018- 11- ST2- 016, PB- PG- 0816- 20044]; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203310]; NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203308]; Swedish Research Council [2017- 06092]

Item does not contain fulltext, OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether children with severe hearing loss (HL) who use hearing aids (HAs) may experience added value in the perception of speech, language development, and executive function (EF) compared to children who are hard of hearing (HH) or children who are deaf and who use cochlear implants (CIs) and would benefit from CIs over HAs. The results contribute to the ongoing debate concerning CI criteria. We addressed the following research question to achieve this aim: Do children who are HH or deaf with CIs perform better than children with severe HL with HAs with respect to auditory speech perception, and receptive vocabulary and/or EF? DESIGN: We compared two groups of children with severe HL, profound HL or deafness, with CIs or HAs, matched for gender, test age (range, 8 to 15 years), socioeconomic status, and nonverbal intelligence quotient. Forty-three children had CIs (pure-tone average at 2000 and 4000 Hz >85 dB HL), and 27 children had HAs (mean pure-tone average: 69 dB HL). We measured speech perception at the conversational level (65 dB SPL) and the soft speech perception level (45 dB SPL). We established receptive vocabulary using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III-NL. We tested EF using the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System battery and the Dutch Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. We employed the Mann-Whitney U test to compare data between the CI and HA groups. We used Chi-square goodness of fit tests to contrast the CI and HA group distributions with the norm data of children who are typically developing (TD). We harnessed Kendall's Tau-b to investigate relationships between the study variables. RESULTS: Both groups of children, with CIs and Has, obtained ceiling scores for perception of speech on a conversational level. However, the HA group exhibited significantly lower perception on a soft speech level scores (68 %) than the CI group (87%). No difference was present between the receptive vocabulary distributions of t

Item does not contain fulltext, OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether children with severe hearing loss (HL) who use hearing aids (HAs) may experience added value in the perception of speech, language development, and executive function (EF) compared to children who are hard of hearing (HH) or children who are deaf and who use cochlear implants (CIs) and would benefit from CIs over HAs. The results contribute to the ongoing debate concerning CI criteria. We addressed the following research question to achieve this aim: Do children who are HH or deaf with CIs perform better than children with severe HL with HAs with respect to auditory speech perception, and receptive vocabulary and/or EF? DESIGN: We compared two groups of children with severe HL, profound HL or deafness, with CIs or HAs, matched for gender, test age (range, 8 to 15 years), socioeconomic status, and nonverbal intelligence quotient. Forty-three children had CIs (pure-tone average at 2000 and 4000 Hz >85 dB HL), and 27 children had HAs (mean pure-tone average: 69 dB HL). We measured speech perception at the conversational level (65 dB SPL) and the soft speech perception level (45 dB SPL). We established receptive vocabulary using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III-NL. We tested EF using the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System battery and the Dutch Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. We employed the Mann-Whitney U test to compare data between the CI and HA groups. We used Chi-square goodness of fit tests to contrast the CI and HA group distributions with the norm data of children who are typically developing (TD). We harnessed Kendall's Tau-b to investigate relationships between the study variables. RESULTS: Both groups of children, with CIs and Has, obtained ceiling scores for perception of speech on a conversational level. However, the HA group exhibited significantly lower perception on a soft speech level scores (68 %) than the CI group (87%). No difference was present between the receptive vocabulary distributions of t

The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU >= 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced per-formance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hy-pothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality., De två sista författarna delar sistaförfattarskapet.

The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU >= 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced per-formance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hy-pothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality., De två sista författarna delar sistaförfattarskapet.

The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU >= 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced per-formance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hy-pothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality., De två sista författarna delar sistaförfattarskapet.

The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU >= 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced per-formance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hy-pothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality., De två sista författarna delar sistaförfattarskapet.

Introduction: Visuospatial and executive impairments have been associated with poor activity performance sub-acute after stroke. Potential associations long-term and in relation to outcome of rehabilitation interventions need further exploration. Aims: To explore associations between visuospatial and executive function and 1) activity performance (mobility, self-care and domestic life) and 2) outcome after 6 weeks of conventional gait training and/or robotic gait training, long term (1–10 years) after stroke. Methods: Participants (n = 45), living with stroke affecting walking ability and who could perform the items assessing visuospatial/executive function included in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Vis/Ex) were included as part of a randomized controlled trial. Executive function was evaluated using ratings by significant others according to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX); activity performance using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Berg balance scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale. Results: MoCA Vis/Ex was significantly associated with baseline activity performance, long-term after stroke (r = .34-.69, p < .05). In the conventional gait training group, MoCA Vis/Ex explained 34% of the variance in 6MWT after the six-week intervention (p = 0.017) and 31% (p = 0.032) at the 6 month follow up, which indicate that a higher MoCA Vis/Ex score enhanced the improvement. The robotic gait training group presented no significant associations between MoCA Vis/Ex and 6MWT indicating that visuospatial/executive function did not affect outcome. Rated executive function (DEX) presented no significant associations to activity performance or outcome after gait training. Conclusion: Visuospatial/executive function may significantly affect activity performance and the outcome of rehabilitation interventions for impaired mobility long-term after stroke and should be considered in the planning of such inter

Performance on lab assessments of executive functions predicts academic achievement and other positive life outcomes. A primary goal of research on executive functions has been to design interventions that improve outcomes like academic achievement by improving executive functions. These interventions typically involve extensive practice on abstract lab-based tasks and lead to improvements on these practiced tasks. However, interventions rarely improve performance on non-practiced tasks and rarely benefit outcomes like academic achievement. Contemporary frameworks of executive function development suggest that executive functions develop and are engaged within personal, social, historical, and cultural contexts. Abstract lab-based tasks do not well-capture the real-world contexts that require executive functions and should not be expected to provide generalized benefits outside of the lab. We propose a perspective for understanding individual differences in performance on executive function assessments that focuses on contextual influences on executive functions. We extend this contextual approach to training executive function engagement, rather than training executive functions directly. First, interventions should incorporate task content that is contextually relevant to the targeted outcome. Second, interventions should encourage engaging executive functions through reinforcement and contextual relevance, which may better translate to real-world outcomes than training executive functions directly. While such individualized executive functions interventions do not address systemic factors that greatly impact outcomes like academic achievement, given the extensive resources devoted to improving executive functions, we hypothesize that interventions designed to encourage children's engagement of executive functions hold more promise for impacting real-world outcomes than interventions designed to improve executive function capacities.

High school physical education (PE) class offerings are on the decline, despite research that shows PE can contribute to overall academic success. Several factors contribute to academic success, particularly executive function, which is an umbrella term for the different cognitive and mental skills crucial for learning, and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) which are skills people acquire and can use in school and later in life. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of PE on SEL and the impact of executive function in high school students. A mixed methods approach was used to collect executive function data and student interviews on a 9th grade PE class. An interpretive qualitative research approach guided the focus groups regarding SEL self-competencies in high school students for a unique student perspective of SEL. Executive function was assessed through the completion of a mobile flanker task that students took on school iPads at three time points in the school semester. A repeated measures ANOVA was used with SPSS statistical software to determine significance. Post hoc analysis with paired samples t-tests were done for significant values. Findings revealed students were able to give specific examples of SEL competencies they were introduced to during PE class as described through the focus groups that they were unable to do before. Executive function results uncovered that congruent reaction time (RT) trials yielded significant results. An assumption can be made that those students did improve in their general cognitive processing of information but not inhibitory control. Study findings can potentially be used to help reduce the marginalization of high school PE by demonstrating that PE with an emphasis on SEL can provide a more equitable and inclusive learning environment (James, 2011).

Introduction: Visuospatial and executive impairments have been associated with poor activity performance sub-acute after stroke. Potential associations long-term and in relation to outcome of rehabilitation interventions need further exploration. Aims: To explore associations between visuospatial and executive function and 1) activity performance (mobility, self-care and domestic life) and 2) outcome after 6 weeks of conventional gait training and/or robotic gait training, long term (1–10 years) after stroke. Methods: Participants (n = 45), living with stroke affecting walking ability and who could perform the items assessing visuospatial/executive function included in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Vis/Ex) were included as part of a randomized controlled trial. Executive function was evaluated using ratings by significant others according to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX); activity performance using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Berg balance scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale. Results: MoCA Vis/Ex was significantly associated with baseline activity performance, long-term after stroke (r = .34-.69, p < .05). In the conventional gait training group, MoCA Vis/Ex explained 34% of the variance in 6MWT after the six-week intervention (p = 0.017) and 31% (p = 0.032) at the 6 month follow up, which indicate that a higher MoCA Vis/Ex score enhanced the improvement. The robotic gait training group presented no significant associations between MoCA Vis/Ex and 6MWT indicating that visuospatial/executive function did not affect outcome. Rated executive function (DEX) presented no significant associations to activity performance or outcome after gait training. Conclusion: Visuospatial/executive function may significantly affect activity performance and the outcome of rehabilitation interventions for impaired mobility long-term after stroke and should be considered in the planning of such inter

Introduction: Visuospatial and executive impairments have been associated with poor activity performance sub-acute after stroke. Potential associations long-term and in relation to outcome of rehabilitation interventions need further exploration. Aims: To explore associations between visuospatial and executive function and 1) activity performance (mobility, self-care and domestic life) and 2) outcome after 6 weeks of conventional gait training and/or robotic gait training, long term (1–10 years) after stroke. Methods: Participants (n = 45), living with stroke affecting walking ability and who could perform the items assessing visuospatial/executive function included in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Vis/Ex) were included as part of a randomized controlled trial. Executive function was evaluated using ratings by significant others according to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX); activity performance using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), Berg balance scale, Functional Ambulation Categories, Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale. Results: MoCA Vis/Ex was significantly associated with baseline activity performance, long-term after stroke (r = .34-.69, p < .05). In the conventional gait training group, MoCA Vis/Ex explained 34% of the variance in 6MWT after the six-week intervention (p = 0.017) and 31% (p = 0.032) at the 6 month follow up, which indicate that a higher MoCA Vis/Ex score enhanced the improvement. The robotic gait training group presented no significant associations between MoCA Vis/Ex and 6MWT indicating that visuospatial/executive function did not affect outcome. Rated executive function (DEX) presented no significant associations to activity performance or outcome after gait training. Conclusion: Visuospatial/executive function may significantly affect activity performance and the outcome of rehabilitation interventions for impaired mobility long-term after stroke and should be considered in the planning of such inter

Executive functions are high level cognitive mechanisms that manage everyday thinking and behaviour. Miyake et al’s (2000) model separates executive function into three fundamental elements: shifting, inhibition and updating. Initially, a Systematic Review examined twenty-two papers. Most studies reported poorer executive function in obese individuals in clinical settings but there was a lack of work in community populations. Study One examined the relationship between executive function and weight in 315 community–based individuals who completed a cognitive test battery testing shifting (Local-Global task), inhibition (Stroop task), updating (Keep-Track task), and a complex task (Random Number Generator). Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated according to standard World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. Self-reported depression, demographic and clinical variables were obtained. Quantile regressions, ANOVA and correlations revealed clear differences between the BMI categories across the cognitive tests with underperformance on tests of inhibition, shifting and updating in both obese class III and underweight categories. Study Two examined the relationship between the performance-based cognitive tests employed in Study One and the self-report Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A), to aid understanding of how deficits may impact individuals in their everyday life. A separate cohort of 400 community participants were recruited. Using quantile regression analysis, Study One results were not fully replicated in Study Two. Some limited differences were noted, with overweight and obese individuals underperforming in updating tasks in comparison to normal weight and underweight individuals. No associations between the BRIEF-A and cognitive tests were observed. To conclude, there is some evidence to suggest that there is a link between weight and executive function but there were inconsistencies between the studies. The discussion highlights the need fo

Executive functions are high level cognitive mechanisms that manage everyday thinking and behaviour. Miyake et al’s (2000) model separates executive function into three fundamental elements: shifting, inhibition and updating. Initially, a Systematic Review examined twenty-two papers. Most studies reported poorer executive function in obese individuals in clinical settings but there was a lack of work in community populations. Study One examined the relationship between executive function and weight in 315 community–based individuals who completed a cognitive test battery testing shifting (Local-Global task), inhibition (Stroop task), updating (Keep-Track task), and a complex task (Random Number Generator). Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated according to standard World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. Self-reported depression, demographic and clinical variables were obtained. Quantile regressions, ANOVA and correlations revealed clear differences between the BMI categories across the cognitive tests with underperformance on tests of inhibition, shifting and updating in both obese class III and underweight categories. Study Two examined the relationship between the performance-based cognitive tests employed in Study One and the self-report Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A), to aid understanding of how deficits may impact individuals in their everyday life. A separate cohort of 400 community participants were recruited. Using quantile regression analysis, Study One results were not fully replicated in Study Two. Some limited differences were noted, with overweight and obese individuals underperforming in updating tasks in comparison to normal weight and underweight individuals. No associations between the BRIEF-A and cognitive tests were observed. To conclude, there is some evidence to suggest that there is a link between weight and executive function but there were inconsistencies between the studies. The discussion highlights the need fo

Introduction Listening and communication difficulties can limit people’s participation in activity and adversely affect their quality of life. Hearing, as well as listening and communication difficulties, can be measured either by using behavioural tests or self-report measures, and the outcomes are not always closely linked. The association between behaviourally measured and self-reported hearing is strong, whereas the association between behavioural and self-reported measures of listening and communication difficulties is much weaker, suggesting they assess different aspects of listening. While behavioural measures of listening and communication difficulties have been associated with poorer cognitive performance including executive functions, the same association has not always been shown for self-report measures. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to understand the relationship between executive function and self-reported listening and communication difficulties in adults with hearing loss, and where possible, potential covariates of age and pure-tone audiometric thresholds. Methods and analysis Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they report data from both a self-report measure of listening difficulties and a behavioural measure of executive function. Eight databases are to be searched: MEDLINE (via Ovid SP), EMBASE (via Ovid SP), PsycINFO (via Ovid SP), ASSIA (via ProQuest), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature or CINAHL (via EBSCO Host), Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index). The JBI critical appraisal tool will be used to assess risk of bias for included studies. Results will be synthesised primarily using a meta-analysis, and where sufficient quantitative data are not available, a narrative synthesis will be carried out to describe key results. Ethics and dissemination No ethical issues are foreseen. Data will be disseminated via academic publication and conference pr, Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) [CDF- 2018- 11- ST2- 016, PB- PG- 0816- 20044]; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203310]; NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre [NIHR 203308]; Swedish Research Council [2017- 06092]

This project explores the intricate connection between cognitive functions and elementary art education, offering practical resources to support teachers in the development of their art teaching while supporting their students’ creative and cognitive capacities. The specific cognitive processes investigated are those involved with executive function and the default mode network while participating in the creation of visual arts. Through the investigation of recent research, experience, environment, and expression are the themes through which resources were created and available through a wix.com platform. This project has been created from my own experiences as an educator and my personal struggles with ADHD in conjunction with the conversations I have had with colleagues regarding their confidence, or lack thereof, surrounding the teaching of art in elementary school. By using the resources and templates in this project my colleagues have been provided with a guide to help build their confidence in their art programming.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat perbedaan perkembangan executive function (EF) anak usia prasekolah yang ditinjau dari aktivitas dibacakan dan tidak dibacakannya buku. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian kuantitatif dengan uji Mann Whitney. Partisipan di dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 130 orang tua dari anak usia prasekolah yang diminta untuk menilai EF anak mereka, dengan metode pengambilan sampel non-probabilitas yakni sampling sukarela. Pengumpulan data penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan alat ukur Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) yang diadaptasikan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh Nasa et al. (2022). Reliabilitas alat ukur tersebut dapat dilihat dari koefisien alpha cronbach yakni 0,975. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan perkembangan executive function pada anak usia prasekolah yang ditinjau dari aktivitas dibacakan dan tidak dibacakannya buku. Hal ini dapat dilihat dari hasil uji Mann Whitney yang mempunyai nilai signifikansi 0,000 (p < 0.05). Hasil ini juga menyimpulkan bahwa perkembangan EF anak usia prasekolah yang dibacakan buku lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan anak usia prasekolah yang tidak dibacakan buku.