Search

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that negatively affects the inattention, disorganization, and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity in children and adolescents who suffer from it, included cases being reported that continue into adulthood. This disorder impairs social, academic, emotional, psychological, and health system functioning due to its high cost of treatment. The present systematic review aims to analyze the effects of physical activity, exercise, and sports on the executive function in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD through the scientific literature. The results show that the practice of physical activity, exercise, or sport produces improvements in executive function in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, mainly through aerobic exercise. A 20 min session of physical activity, sport, or exercise leads to improvements in executive functions in children and adolescents with ADHD. It can be concluded that the practice of physical activity, exercise, and sport generate improvements on executive functions in children and adolescents with ADHD, mainly through aerobic exercise.

Executive Function (EF) is a multidimensional construct. It includes a set of abilities that allows to execute actions with a purpose, aimed to a goal, in an efficient way. The objective of this work is to explore some of the cognitive abilities that constitute a common factor for EF in 9 years-old children. The chosen instruments: Batería de Evaluación Neuropsicológica de la Función Ejecutiva en niños (ENFEN) (Battery of Neuropsychological Assessment for Executive Function in Children), along with the Backward Digits Subtestfrom the WISC-III, were administered to 101 children from private schools of Buenos Aires State, Argentina. The ENFEN consists on EF tasks, including Phonological and Semantic Fluency, Trail Making Test versions for children (gray and colored sets), Interference Task, and Planning disc movements according to a model. An initial confirmatory factor analysis didn’t show significant fit indexes, being the Inhibitory control the variable with the lower and non significant factorial weight. A second model excluding the Inhibitory control measure was conducted, and it showed excellent fit indexes. Therefore, it can be concluded that at this age, some of the cognitive abilities included on the EF are: Phonological and Semantic Fluency, Sustained and Selective attention, Planning and Working memory; which is not the case for Inhibitory Control (measured by the Interference Task in the ENFEN).

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a very debilitating disorder and has shown different cognitive deficit patterns. Some of them are controversial because they relate some deficit with autistic traits. Both, social cognition and executive function are top-down processes that regulate social interaction and adaptive behavior in a complex world. Neurocognitive profiles focused on this process are especially useful as endophenotypes in clinic research and intervention.The aims of this study are (1) assessing the contribution of social cognition and executive function to socio-emotional and neurocognitive patterns in anorexia nervosa and (2) investigating the possible relationships between social cognition tasks and executive function measures and clinic features in this eating disorder. Fifteen adolescents with anorexia nervosa and 15 healthy controls took part in this study. Patients were diagnosed with DSM-IV-R criteria. They had suffered the disease for 3 years (SD ± 1.47). They were compared in social cognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes and the IOWA Gambling Task) and executive function (verbal fluency tasks, trail making test, and digit span test [DST] from the WAIS-III). The results show that there was a significant difference in social cognition, at the theory of mind and the IOWA gambling task. Finally, for the executive function task, adolescents with AN displayed significant differences in both direct DST and inverse DST, as well as in semantic fluency and phonological fluency compared with controls. These domains show different highly-significant relationships that could explain neurocognitive profiles. In conclusion, many differences were found between adolescents with AN and healthy controls. AN patients displayed important deficits in theory of mind recognition, executive function, and decision making. These deficits could play a role in maintaining pathological patterns and also important endophenotypes in research and intervention might be considered.

The following article comes in the development of a degree paper, and its original purpose pointed to assess the success of a neuropsychological rehabilitation program focused on the executive function. Nevertheless, it is possible to extend its usefulness as a complete and efficient instrument that allows an exhaustive diagnosis of the executive functioning to lead its accurate rehabilitation. The main importance of its consideration deals with the limitations observed in the context of the Chilean tertiary public attention, in terms of the lack of resources and benefits related to neuropsychological rehabilitation, and because of the need of a treatment focused on that very function that will secure better cognitive recovering for brain damaged patients served by such institutions.

The principal goal of this study was to evaluate the neuropsychological performance in Executive Function (EF) tasks in adolescents with different patterns of alcohol use. An ex – post facto simple prospective design was used and three groups were identified in regard to alcohol drinking patterns (DP): light drinkers, moderate drinkers, and Binge drinkers. No differences were found in neuropsychological performance in EF tasks related to DP. Results of the present work highlights relevant issues that need to be considered in future works, like the importance of a better assessment of DP among Argentinean adolescents and the implementation of neuropsychological tasks developed to assess emotional aspects of EF, such us the decision making tasks.

RESUMENDurante el transcurso de las últimas dos décadas, se ha generado un creciente interés científico en el estudio deldesarrollo de las funciones ejecutivas (EF) durante el periodo preescolar. Dicho interés, ha nacido en parte del notoriodesarrollo que tales procesos experimentan durante este periodo. Asimismo, numerosas investigaciones han hallado unvínculo entre el rendimiento en tales procesos, y la presencia de diferentes trastornos psicopatológicos. El presenteartículo, constituye una revisión del desarrollo de las EF durante el periodo preescolar. El objetivo que se persigue en elmismo, es describir los cambios observados a nivel cognitivo-comportamental en el FE durante este periodo; vinculándolosa sus posibles bases anatómico-funcionales. Asimismo, se procurará analizar el impacto de algunos factores consideradosmoduladores de este proceso sobre el mismo. Se concluirá destacando la necesidad de profundizar en el estudio de losfactores moduladores de tal desarrollo, dada la importancia que las EF presentarían para la adaptación del individuo alambiente.ABSTRACTDuring the course of the last two decades, there has been a growing scientific intresting in the study of exectivefunctions development during preschool years. This interesting arise in part in these processes experience considerabledevelopment during this period. Also, numerous studies have found a link between performance in these processes and thepresence of different psychopathological disorders. This article is a review of EF development during preschool years. Theobjective pursued in it, is to describe the observed changes in EF in cognitive-behavioral level during this period, linkingthem to those potential anatomical -functional bases. Although, we will analyze the impact of some factors consideredmodulators of this process. We concluded emphasizing the need for further study of the factors modulating such development,given the importance of EF for individual’s adaptation to the environment.

This review presents different problems related to executive functions (EF) assessment with neuropsychological tests. It shows an overview of EF definitions and theoreticals models created to overcome the problem of inductive lists. Also EF tests history and their emerging contexts are reviewed, to hypothetisize about its consequences over actual conditions of EF assessment practice. Later, an EF tests classification is proposed, taking into account criterias like tests origins, constructs relates and systemic or simple forms of aplication. Finally the idea of a new generation of tests supported by theoreticals and technological advances was analyzed. This includes the development of EF scientifical ontologies, reverse inferences analysis and ecological and etological validity studies.

As respostas de adaptação (coping) referem-se às estratégias para adaptar o indivíduo ao estresse. Este artigo teórico revisa a estrutura do coping em quatro níveis, com o nível inferior correspondendo às chr(38)quot;instânciaschr(38)quot; de coping e o nível superior correspondendo às chr(38)quot;estratégias de adaptaçãochr(38)quot;. Assim é introduzida frontais. Propõe-se que o coping ocorreria através de um controle primário, ou ação direta na fonte de estresse/emoções, de um controle secundário ou adaptação à fonte de estresse, e do desligamento ou escape da fonte de estresse/emoções desagradáveis. Também se argumenta que o coping envolveria a avaliação, planejamento, análise e antecipação dos resultados, processos tipicamente vinculados às funções executivas

As funções executivas podem estar prejudicadas após uma lesão de hemisfério direito. Este artigo objetiva verificar se há diferenças entre grupos clínico e controle quanto ao processamento destas funções e averiguar a freqüência de déficits de processamento executivo em lesados unilaterais. Para tanto, participaram 25 adultos com um evento de lesão vascular no hemisfério direito (grupo clínico), emparelhados com 25 indivíduos neurologicamente saudáveis quanto à idade e à escolaridade (grupo controle). As funções executivas foram examinadas com Span verbal de dígitos. Teste Stroop, Teste das trilhas, Teste Hayling e Teste Wisconsig (versão abreviada de 48 cartões). Na comparação entre grupos, encontram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas quanto aos aspectos atencionais. Entretanto, na análise do desempenho de cada participante com lesão de hemisfério direito, observam-se prejuízos dos componentes executivos inibição e flexibilidade cognitiva, avaliados pelos testes Stroop, Hayling e Wisconsin. Sugere-se estudos de clusters, caracterizando o processamento de cada componente das funções executivas

Abstract Objective Executive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury may lead to reduced daily functionality due to direct damage to the frontal lobe or to disruption of its connections to other brain regions. This study aimed to compare the performance of adults with and without traumatic brain injury on executive functions tasks. Method The present study had a descriptive transversal design and included 43 participants divided into a clinical group (N = 23, age M = 34.3 [10.86]) and a control group (N = 20, age M = 38.3 [10.7]). The battery consisted of traditional instruments and the Ecological Hotel Task. Results A significant difference was found in the performance of the groups in the planning measures (number of tasks [t = -3.06; p < 0.01] and planning score [t = -3.06; p < 0.01]), highlighting the advantages of using both the traditional performance paradigms and the ecological tasks in neuropsychological assessment of executive functions. Conclusion Results suggested that the ecological task might discriminate better executive dysfunction, emphasizing the importance of using activities that simulate real-life situations of the participants.

The Attentional Control Theory (ACT) posits that, while trait anxiety may not directly impact performance, it can influence processing efficiency by prompting the use of compensatory mechanisms. The specific nature of these mechanisms, which might be reflective, is not detailed by the ACT. In a study involving 110 students (M = 20.12; SD = 2.10), surveys were administered to assess the students’ metacognitive beliefs, trait anxiety, and emotion regulation strategies (ERSs). The participants engaged in two working memory exercises: the digit span task from the WAIS-IV and an emotional n-back task. The findings indicated that anxiety, metacognitive beliefs, and maladaptive ERSs did not affect task performance but were correlated with increased response times. Several regression analyses demonstrated that a lack of confidence in one’s cognitive abilities and maladaptive ERSs predict higher reaction times (RT) in the n-back task. Additionally, maladaptive ERSs also predict an increased use of strategies in the digit span task. Finally, two mediation analyses revealed that anxiety increases processing efficiency, and this relation is mediated by the use of maladaptive ERSs. These results underscore the importance of the reflective level in mediating the effects of trait anxiety on efficiency. They highlight the necessity of incorporating metacognitive beliefs and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies for a thorough comprehension of the Attentional Control Theory. Recognizing these factors offers valuable perspectives for enhancing cognitive capabilities and fostering academic achievement.

Identifying retained activity participation to old age can improve age-related changes in balance and cognition function. Subjects ≥ 60 years were enrolled in this study. Balance and Cognitive function include working memory, executive function, and sustained and divided attention was evaluated with “Fullerton advanced balance”, “n-back”, “Wisconsin card sort”, “sustain and divided attention test”, respectively. In addition, retained activity participation was measured using the Activity Card Sort questionnaire. The univariate and multivariate regression analyses of different domains of retained activity participation were used as independent variables, including instrumental activity, low-effort leisure, high-effort leisure, and social activity on balance and specific domains of cognition. Seventy-seven subjects (65.3 ± 4.4 years, 61% female) were included. About 47% of older adults had a college education, 32.3% had a diploma, and 20.7% had elementary–middle education. These results show that retained instrumental activity had a relationship with working memory (β = 0.079, p < 0.05). In addition, we found that retained high-effort leisure activity can increase balance, divided attention, and executive function score (β = 0.1, β = 0.05, β = 0.02, p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a positive relationship between retained low-effort activity and sustained attention (β = 0.08, p < 0.05). In addition, the coefficient of determination (R2) for balance, working memory, executive function, sustained, and divided attention were 0.45, 0.25, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.18, respectively. The study suggests that retained activity participation types may have various effects on balance and some selective cognitive components in older people.

Study of the neurodevelopment of children is vital to promote good quality of life during childhood. Few batteries showing adequate reliability and validity indices are available to evaluate the different neuropsychological domains. The objective of this study was to obtain initial evidence on the validity of the Computerized Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) in a Spanish population. To assess the validity of the BENCI battery and other measures of task switching, abstract reasoning, linguistic abilities, processing speed, and attention were used. The sample was composed of a total of 73 children aged 9, 10, and 11 years. Significant differences among age groups were observed in the domains of sustained attention, memory, and executive function. In addition, the BENCI subtests showed statistically significant correlations with the other neuropsychological tools. Further research is warranted on the relationship of the BENCI with other tests in wider age groups and to assess the factorial structure of the scale and the reliability values of the subtests. In conclusion, this study seems to indicate that the Spanish version of the BENCI has promising validity to be used for evaluating the main neuropsychological domains in children.

Los efectos del estrés sobre el rendimiento de las funciones ejecutivas están ampliamente estudiado, en contraposición a la función protectora que estas podrían llevar a cabo. Por ese motivo, esta revisión pretende analizar la posible función protectora de las funciones ejecutivas ante un evento vital estresante. Para ello, se realiza una búsqueda exhaustiva de literatura científica publicada en PubMed y Scopus. Se obtuvieron 1343 artículos, de los cuales, fueron seleccionados un total de 22. Los resultados muestran, a falta de una mayor investigación en el ámbito, que las funciones ejecutivas podrían ser un factor de protección ante eventos vitales estresantes, destacando el papel de la atención, flexibilidad cognitiva, y el control cognitivo de manera global.

Abstract This study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), evidence of reliability, and convergent validity, in a sample of neurologically preserved older adults. Participants were 345 older adults who answered, in addition to DEX, a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and two verbal fluency tasks. The EFA was conducted through Parallel Analysis based on the generation of a polychoric correlation matrix, as well as Pearson’s correlation between the DEX scores, age, education, MMSE, and verbal fluency tasks. According to the EFA, the extraction of two factors (“Inhibition” and “Social Regulation and Planning”) was suggested and DEX was negatively associated with age and MMSE. In conclusion, DEX presented a satisfactory factorial structure for older adults, which can be considered a reliable self-report measure for complaints of executive functions.

Suicide in people between the ages of 15 and 24 is one of the top three causes of death. The aim of this research is to compare and associate performance in working memory, attention, and inhibitory control with the presence of suicidal behavior in adolescents. Research design was cross-sectional and the convenience sample consisted of 65 adolescents from the city of Temuco, Chile. The instruments used for data collection were: 1) the Okasha Suicidality Scale, 2) span of direct and indirect digits, and 3) the Stroop test. The results show that 49.3% of the adolescents had suicidal ideation. In terms of the groups, an association and significant differences were found in the Stroop test; this occurred specifically in the female sex (p < .05). In the rest of the tasks that measured memory and attention, no differences were observed (p > .05). It is concluded that suicidal behavior is associated with a lower performance in inhibitory control tasks for females.

Abstract Education is an area directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many teachers started to have new work demands, which can be perceived as stressful variables. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between cognitive planning and occupational stress among teachers from Distrito Federal, in the COVID-19 pandemic context. This is a correlational and quantitative study, whose variables are cognitive planning, occupational stress and cognitive failures. Data collection was performed electronically with 29 adults aged between 30 and 49 years old, by applying the Cognitive Planning Scale, the Work-related Stress Scale and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests and correlations. The results indicated that there was no significant relationship between cognitive planning and occupational stress. In addition, the study contributed to the discussion of the effects of the pandemic on basic education professionals.

In this article, epistemological perspectives that have shaped and affected the scientific quest for understanding what neuropsychologists term "executive functions" are reviewed. Executive functions refer to the control functions of cognition and behavior. The underlying thesis of the paper is that one's epistemological orientation determines how one sees the interaction between brain functions and our status in the world. Each different orientation thus carries with it implications with regard to how executive functions operate, as well as how, therefore, one should try to assess them. Until recently, these functions were approached through two primary epistemological points of view. One is analytic, which has its roots in the positivistic movement. The other approach is synthetic, otherwise known as "romantic science", and forms the basis of the work of the prominent Russian neuropsychologist A.R. Luria. A third epistemological perspective, articulated under the umbrella of 'embodied cognition' approaches, has been advanced in the last 20 years, and is associated most closely with the work of Francisco Varela. A review of, and reflection on how these perspectives have affected research and clinical practice in neuropsychology is provided.

La obesidad se relaciona con bajo desempeño cognitivo a lo largo del desarrollo vital. Las alteraciones se relacionan con la atención, memoria, lenguaje y con el funcionamiento ejecutivo. Sin embargo, la relación obesidad-funcionamiento ejecutivo no es clara en adolescentes. Este estudio presenta una revisión sistemática sobre las alteraciones del funcionamiento ejecutivo en adolescentes con obesidad. Se propuso una ecuación de búsqueda (Disfunción ejecutiva Y Obesidad Y Adolescentes) y 60 estudios cumplieron los criterios de inclusión en la base de datos de Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection. Un análisis bibliométrico identificó la importancia del tema de investigación y se construyó una red de citas con el propósito de establecer las líneas de estudio. Finalmente, se exportó la red de citaciones a Gephi para visualizar los grupos de investigación en la temática. Los hallazgos sugieren 4 líneas de estudio: (a) anormalidad cerebral a nivel estructural y funcional en adolescentes con obesidad, (b) alteraciones en el control inhibitorio en adolescentes con obesidad, (c) efectos de la actividad física y cognitiva en el funcionamiento ejecutivo de adolescente con obesidad y (d) alteraciones en la memoria de trabajo en adolescentes con obesidad. Se encontró que los adolescentes prefieren recompensas inmediatas en comparación con recompensas a largo plazo. Sin embargo, las intervenciones efectivas aumentan el consumo de frutas y verduras y reducen la ingesta de comida con alto contenido calórico. Se recomiendan estudios longitudinales adicionales para evaluar si las alteraciones en el funcionamiento ejecutivo es una causa o consecuencia de la obesidad en adolescentes

Objective: To analyze the relationship between the dimensions of the executive function and intellectual capacity in children with high academic performance. Method: an analytical, observational, prospective study with a non-random sample of 104 children between 7 and 11 years of age, belonging to educational institutions in Medellín, Colombia, divided into groups according to the measure of Total Intellectual Capacity (TIC): 1. Those with an average TIC of between 85-115. 2. Children with higher IC or those with scores ranging from 116-129 and 3. Children with TIC of ≥ 130, known as exceptional talents. They are provided executive function tests that are in compliance with bioethical conditions. Results and conclusions: The Intellectual Capacity is not a concept analogous or synonymous to executive function. This study demonstrates that the common element among all participants is high academic performance and an absence of alteration of the executive function. Finally, an adequate executive functioning makes high academic performance possible.

Abstract This study investigated the correlations and the possible deficits in reading, phonemic awareness, and executive functions among students with developmental dyslexia. A total of 28 students participated in the study, between 9 and 11 years old, 14 with developmental dyslexia and 14 without reading difficulties. Specific instruments were used to assess reading, phonemic awareness, and executive functions. The Spearman test indicated moderate and very significant correlations between performance in tasks of phonemic awareness and reading (recognition and comprehension) and tasks that assessed cognitive functioning involving the following executive functions: cognitive flexibility, working memory, inhibitory control, and orthographic verbal fluency. No correlation was found between the reading and phonemic awareness assessments and the results of the planning done with the Tower of London instrument. The results allowed the researchers to hypothesize that an intervention planned for the development of phonemic awareness and executive functions may have an effect in improving the reading performance of dyslexics.

Background: The Agency is capable of changing the own perceptual inputs at will (Russell, 1996;) 2000).The hypothesis of this work is that - according to Russell-, this would be altered in subjects with autism and that, on the other hand, it strengthens in critical periods of development (3 and 4 years old). Method: Assessed skills associated with the agency: monitoring of action, recognition of the Agency, instigation, the ability to correct errors on the fly and central inhibition, in children typical development of different ages, and children with and without autism using unpublished tests. Results: The differences due to age are found in the tests that evaluate the monitoring of an action plan, the recognition of the agency, the central inhibition and instigation, as well as the amount of mistakes made and the ability to correct them on the march. The differences between children with and without autism were found in the monitoring, instigation and ability to correct errors. Conclusion: These results show a progressive development of skills associated with the agency. In three-year-old children there are still difficulties in monitoring, instigating and inhibiting actions and in the recognition of the agency itself: skills that improve the following year and stabilize after 6 years. In children with autism, we found that the performance was different according to the clinical subtype, and that although there were alterations in the monitoring and instigation of the action (and according to the subtype, there were also differences in the control and correction of the error), they did not present difficulties in recognizing agency and central inhibition: central skills that are central to the management and control of one's own behavior as agents. These results support the idea that a certain minimum idea of agency could be particularly conserved, even in the most affected clinical cases of autism.

The current study aims to describe the attention, memory, and executive functions of children between five and 12 years old from the city of Medellín. The participants had a history of child abuse -with or without symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder-. This study is a descriptive research with an analytic transversal design for two groups. Researchers conducted the International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (M.I.N.I-KIDS), along with the Children’s Neuropsychological Assessment (ENI- for its abbreviation in Spanish) and a battery of Spanish-language tests of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobe (BANFE- for its abbreviation in Spanish). Results were the following: PTSD N=10, age = 7.8 (SD=2.1) and No PTSD N=16, age = 7.7 (SD=2.1). Statistically significant differences in the evaluative process were not found between both groups. These findings agree with other studies on the subject and highlight the importance of implementing research including more cases and variables.

This study describes the functionality, cognitive, and neuropsychological performance of a child with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, and the role of the “educational diet” in his performance. Executive dysfunction is expected in Hemiplegic children, and even those with normal cognitive functioning are predisposed to show specific learning difficulties. This particular case displays a profile disparate from what is expected. Results confirmed the high functionality of the child, FA, in all domains. Moreover, a parent interview verified that the educational diet followed may be an important aspect that is contributing to the child’s divergent results.

Violence is the second most common cause of death in Panama; however, there is a surprising paucity of research addressing the dynamics of this social phenomenon, particularly from a neuropsychological perspective. Evidence suggests that intelligence and executive function (EF) are strongly associated with delinquency and criminal behavior (Moffitt, 1993; Morgan & Lilienfeld, 2000). In the present study, three groups of men convicted for criminal offenses such as intimate partner femicide (FPI; n=27), non-relational homicide (HNR; n=28) and non-violent offenses (DNV; n=29) were assessed. The following instruments were administered: verbal (WAIS-III) and non-verbal (TONI-2) intelligence tests, as well as various executive function tests (TMT, Stroop, and COWAT). The FPI group exhibited significant performance deficits in the Stroop test,, which suggests impairments in the speed of information processing in this group. Additionally, a profound deficit in verbal functioning across all groups emerged as the defining element in the cognitive profile of men serving sentences for criminal offenses. Verbal CI was significantly correlated with years of study, non-verbal CI, and most of the EF measures. These results provide preliminary evidence that supports the development of early intervention programs as a means to prevent violent behavior

Executive function is the construct that comprises the spectrum of cognitive abilities that enable the individual to anticipate, initiate, provide feedback to the behavior and have cognitive flexibility. One of the useful tests to assess this function is the Ruff Figural Fluency Test which measures visuomotor programming and is associated with right frontal activity. In Colombia this test has not been validated with adult population, and considering the usefulness of this instrument for assessing people with neurological injury, the need to carry out a study to analyze the feasibility of using this test both in research and clinical practice was raised. The overall objective was to conduct a psychometric analysis of the Ruff Test with university population in Bogotá. The study was descriptive, of instrumental type. Participants were 492 university students, men and women, aged between 18 and 28 years, enrolled in seven universities of the city of Bogotá. The internal consistency analysis yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.876. In order to establish convergent validity, the WAIS cubes subtest was used, and a correlation of 0.24 was found, with p = 0.001. Factor analysis yielded four factors, three of which coincide with the studies conducted by the author of the test. The fourth factor found was related with following directions. Sex differences were found in the unique designs factor, where women obtained a higher average than men.

RESUMO Este artigo de revisão visa contextualizar o desenvolvimento das funções executivas (FE) em crianças prematuras, com especial atenção para o efeito dos cuidados parentais. As principais bases eletrônicas foram utilizadas para essa revisão: 31 estudos originais, duas meta-análises, uma meta-síntese e dois artigos de revisão foram identificados. Concluiu-se que as crianças prematuras têm maior risco de disfunção executiva global, sendo a qualidade dos cuidados parentais fundamentais para a modulação das FE, nomeadamente no que concerne às variáveis socioemocionais da interação, como a sensibilidadematerna. Salientam-se ainda as principais limitações dos estudos analisados e apontam-se recomendações para futura investigação sobre os efeitos dos cuidados parentais no desenvolvimento de FE em crianças prematuras.

La versión para preescolar del Inventario de Evaluación Conductual de la Función Ejecutiva es una escala cada vez más utilizada en la investigación y ampliamente utilizada en la práctica clínica para la evaluación de las habilidades ejecutivas. Sin embargo, los estudios realizados sobre sus propiedades de medición son todavía escasos, y los estudios de validación fuera de América del Norte, casi inexistentes. En el presente estudio se analizaron sus características psicométricas en una muestra de 452 niños y niñas en edad preescolar que fueron valorados por sus profesores. Los resultados del análisis factorial exploratorio indican un buen ajuste de las escalas clínicas al modelo de tres factores propuesto por los autores del BRIEF-P, así como una alta consistencia interna. Los puntajes brutos obtenidos fueron significativamente más bajos que los reportados en la muestra normativa, por lo que se subraya la necesidad de impulsar la construcción de normas adaptadas a nuestra población escolar.

O envelhecimento gera modificações funcionais e estruturais no organismo, que diminui a vitalidade e favorece o aparecimento de doenças relacionadas a esse período de vida através de um processo natural. A depressão está associada a déficits cognitivos e funcionais. O objetivo é avaliar flexibilidade cognitiva de idosos depressivos. Participaram do estudo 38 idosos com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos, com diagnóstico depressão e 123 idosos de ambos os sexos da população geral. O delineamento foi de um estudo quantitativo e transversal. Os instrumentos utilizados: Ficha de dados clínicos, Teste Wisconsin de Classificação de Cartas (WCST), Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM), Inventário de Depressão de Beck (BDI), Inventário de Ansiedade de Beck (BAI), Escala de Depressão Geriátrica (GDS) e os subtestes Vocabulário, Códigos, Dígitos e Cubos da Escala Wechsler de Inteligência para Adultos III (WAIS-III). A análise do desempenho no teste WCST, em idosos com depressão mais grave mostraram maior número total de erros cometidos ao realizar a tarefa e maior percentual de respostas de nível conceitual, cometem mais erros. Além disso, demonstram evidências de acertos casuais e não intencionais e quanto mais grave a depressão, maiores os prejuízos cognitivos no desempenho no WCST.

Empirical evidence suggests that human beings develop the capacity to ascribe mental states (as false beliefs) at the age of four or five years old. This has been demonstrated through the use of different tests (appearance – reality, representational change and false belief tests). Three year old infants commit serious mistakes in such tests. Perner (1994; 1995) suggests that such capacities depend on the metacognitive skills that permits the comprehension of the mind as a representational structure. But its are not developed until the age of four or five. Leslie (1987; 1988; 1994b) sustains that such capacity depends on the ontogenetic development of a “paraintentional” modular structure in the brain. Leslie think that around the second year of life children express “mentalist” abilities. For Leslie, lack of executives capacities and lack of a mechanism responsible for coordination of inferences explain the difficulties of children in false belief tests. The objective of this work is to inquire why 3 years old children can not attribute false beliefs, in “false belief test”. The data shows that children are capable of solving problems that require mental adscription at 3 years old, as long as problems are simplified. This indicates that the reported low performance of 3 year old children can be explained in terms of general skills to compute information.

O presente artigo discute o conceito de função executiva enquanto um processo de integração temporal, envolvendo funções como o ajuste preparatório, o controle inibitório e a memória de trabalho. Em seguida questiona o modelo multicomponente de Baddeley para a memória de trabalho e propõe uma nova classificação da função executiva que engloba os modelos de Fuster e de Baddeley. Finalmente revisita o conceito neurobiológico de aprendizado e sugere uma abordagem para se avaliar os déficits de aprendizagem que leve em conta a função executiva como a pedra angular do processo cognitivo.

Given the widespread popularity of videogames, research attempted to assess their effects on cognitive and affective abilities, especially in children and adolescents. Despite numerous correlational studies, robust evidence on the causal relationship between videogames and cognition remains scarce, hindered by the absence of a comprehensive assessment tool for gaming skills across various genres. In a sample of 347 adolescents, this study aimed to develop and validate the Gaming Skill Questionnaire (GSQ) and assess the impact of gaming skills in six different genres (sport, first-person shooters, role-playing games, action-adventure, strategy, and puzzle games) on cognitive and affective abilities of adolescents. The GSQ exhibited strong reliability and validity, highlighting its potential as a valuable tool. Gaming skills positively affected executive function, memory, overall cognition, cognitive flexibility, and emotion recognition, except for empathy. Various game genres had different effects on cognitive and affective abilities, with verbal fluency influenced mainly by sports, executive functions by action, strategy, and puzzle, and emotion recognition positively impacted by action and puzzle but negatively by sports and strategy games. Both age and gaming skills influenced cognitive flexibility, with gaming having a greater effect. These intriguing genre-specific effects on cognitive and affective functioning postulate further research with GSQ’s contribution.

Children play with different toys in different ways which may be associated with different developmental outcomes. While existing work has investigated different categories of toys, differences may also be present within specific toy categories. Therefore, understanding how specific toys promote play behaviours and their associated developmental outcomes has important implications for teachers, parents, caregivers, and researchers. To better understand how children play with toy trains, whether groups of children show a particular preference for toy trains and what (if any) associated benefits there are for playing with toy trains, 36 studies published in psychology and educational databases up to December 2022 were reviewed. A key finding emerged regarding the importance of the structured, realistic, and familiar nature of toy trains being important for facilitating pretend play as well as social collaboration behaviours during social play. Whilst findings in relation to gender-stereotyped preferences for playing with toy trains were mixed and no gender differences were found in research investigating play styles, neurodivergent children were found to have a preference for toy trains. These findings are important given that certain play styles, pretend play in particular, have been associated with benefits in children’s executive function, language, creativity, and social understanding.

There is no consensus in the literature as to neuropsychological functioning, the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and the definitions of the OCS dimensions. We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between executive function and OCS severity in the various dimensions, according to the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale criteria. We evaluated 28 patients with OCS, using eight neuropsychological instruments to evaluate executive function. We found that OCS severity in the contamination/cleaning dimension correlates negatively with executive function, inhibitory control and attentional control. Severity in the hoarding dimension correlated positively with cognitive flexibility, visual processing and logical reasoning, whereas it correlated negatively with the capacity to develop efficient complex problem-solving strategies. There was also a positive correlation between severity in the symmetry/ordering dimension and attentional control. Our findings suggest that the profile of executive function in OCD is defined by the severity of the various OCS dimensions.

The literature has shown a strong relationship between executive dysfunction and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), although there is no consensus on which subprocesses of executive functioning are impaired and/or preserved in this condition. This study aimed to investigate executive function and working memory in children and adolescents with ASD (n = 11) compared to children and adolescents with typical development (n = 19) matched by age, formal education, and nonverbal IQ. The tests used were: Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices, Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, Rey’s Complex Figure Test, Digit span, Pseudowords span, Working memory, Verbal fluency (orthographic and semantic) and Go/no go. The results demonstrate impairment of executive function in the clinical group, especially in planning, flexibility, inhibition, and also visuospatial working memory.

Executive dysfunction is an underlying characteristic of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Therefore, this study explored which measures of executive functions (EF) may lead to a better diagnostic prediction and evaluated whether participants were adequately assigned to the ADHD group based on the identified predictors. Seventeen 6- to 10-year-old children with ADHD were matched with 17 typically developing peers (TD) by age, gender, and non-verbal intelligence. Performance-based measures and behavior ratings of ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ EF were used. As expected, there was a significant group effect on the linear combination of measures, indicating that children with ADHD showed significant difficulties with EF compared to the TD group. In fact, significant differences were found in measures of short-term and working memory, planning, delay aversion, and EF-related behaviors, as reported by parents and teachers. However, the discriminant function analysis only revealed three significant predictors: the General Executive Composite of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Parent and Teacher Forms) and the Delay of Gratification Task, with 97.1% correct classifications. These findings highlight the importance and contribution of both behavioral ratings and ‘hot’ measures of EF for the characterization of ADHD in children.

The objective of this study was to compare attention, memory, and executive function in a sample of boys, girls, and adolescents with and without symptoms of depression. Participants included 50 low income, school age children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 16. Twenty five children with high scores and 25 with low scores on the Children Depression Inventory (CDI) were selected, and the groups were matched according to age, gender, and degree of schooling. They were then given a battery of neuropsychological tests in order to compare the attention, memory, and executive function of both groups. Results show a profile characterized by low performance in attention, semantic memory, and logic, as well as inhibitory control difficulties, in the group with symptoms of depression.

Objective: Identify predictors of lower cognitive performance in colon cancer patients treated with surgery before undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: In a sample of 89 colon cancer patients, we evaluated the relation between their cognitive performance in three cognitive domains (executive function, verbal memory and psychomotor skill) and the following variables: Age, sex, years of study, stage, medical prognosis, comorbidity, haemoglobin, anxiety, depression, fatigue, quality of life, physical and psychosocial problems. Results: They are a predominantly male sample (61.8%), over 65 years (mean 66.9) without neuropsychological illness history (89.9%). But, data show correlational relationships between some cognitive performance test and certain variables assessed. There are remarkable negative correlations with age, respiratory problems and social perception of the quality of life, with lower cognitive performance on tests of verbal memory, executive function and psychomotor ability (p

Patients with West Syndrome and associated Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have cognitive deficits (i.e., attentional, mnestic, visuoperceptive, executive function, and language impairments) that may affect their quality of life. After delimiting the cognitive profile of these patients, this study aims to design a specific neuropsychological assessment and intervention protocol, from a holistic and integrative approach. The program consists of 48 sessions planned over six months, including neuropsychological assessment sessions (before, halfway through, and at the end of the intervention) and intervention sessions focused on the affected cognitive domains, socioemotional aspects, and the improvement of autonomy and functionality. The proposed program is expected to be effective in improving cognitive functioning and quality of life in this population, contributing to optimize health care.

This study aims to identify neuropsychological assessment measures that can better guide the selection and difficulty level adjustment of neuropsychological rehabilitation tasks for patients with acquired brain injury. Eight patients with acquired brain injury were recruited from one rehabilitation institution. The neuropsychological protocol included standard neuropsychological tests targeting attention, memory, and executive functions. After the assessment, the patients enrolled in an intensive online cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation training program (80 sessions of 49 cognitive training and 31 affective and psychosocial intervention sessions). The association between the assessment results and the training outcomes was measured to explore which measures were better associated with specific training outcomes. This study suggests that the results of specific conventionally administered neuropsychological tests can be good indicators of the patients’ performance in the cognitive training of attention and working memory. On the other hand, none of the tests provided valuable data regarding the patients’ ability to perform the executive functioning training tasks, perhaps because those appeal to everyday situations, which are not adequately represented in the administered tests. More research is needed, especially regarding the executive function.