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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.

Resumen: Introducción: Las tareas de atención compleja y fluencia no verbal se utilizan en las valoraciones neuropsicológicas con el objetivo de explorar subdominios de las funciones ejecutivas. El objetivo de este estudio es proporcionar datos normativos ajustados por edad, escolaridad y género de las pruebas Delis Kaplan-Design Fluency Test (DK-DFT), Color Trails Tests (CTT) y Dual Task (DT) como parte del Proyecto NEURONORMA-Plus. Método: Se incluyeron 308 individuos sin deterioro cognitivo de entre 18 y 92 años de edad. Se convirtieron las puntuaciones brutas en puntuaciones escalares ajustadas por edad y se realizaron ajustes por escolaridad y género aplicando regresiones lineales estratificando en dos grupos de edad (< 50 y ≥ 50 años). Resultados: Globalmente la edad tuvo un impacto negativo en el DK-DFT y el CTT. La escolaridad mostró un efecto positivo en las puntuaciones del DK-DFT sólo en el grupo de mayor edad (≥ 50 años) y se halló un rendimiento discretamente superior en los hombres más jóvenes en la condición básica de esta prueba. La escolaridad se asoció positivamente con todas las puntuaciones de CTT en ambos grupos de edad, excepto en la subprueba CTT-1 en el grupo de adultos jóvenes. La edad y la escolaridad no mostraron influencia sobre el rendimiento en el DT, a diferencia del género, ya que las mujeres jóvenes tuvieron un rendimiento ligeramente superior. Conclusión: Estos datos normativos pueden resultar útiles para la interpretación de las evaluaciones neuropsicológicas en población española. Abstract: Introduction: Complex attention and non-verbal fluency tasks are used in neuropsychological assessments with the aim of exploring subdomains of executive function. The purpose of this study is to provide norms and age-, education-, and sex-adjusted data for the Delis Kaplan-Design Fluency Test (DK-DFT), Color Trails Test (CTT), and Dual Task (DT) as part of the NEURONORMA-Plus project. Methods: The sample included 308 cognitively healthy individuals aged between 18 and 92 years. Raw scores were converted to age-adjusted scaled scores. These were further converted into education- and sex-adjusted scaled scores by applying linear regression, with 2 age groups (

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.

ABSTRACT Objective: Considering the importance of the beginning of the academic trajectory for children to reach their full development, this work aims to evaluate the school readiness of preschool-age children and identify which factors influence these results, in order to contribute to the proposition of strategies that allow improving the teaching-learning process and child development. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study with 443 preschool children belonging to the West Region Cohort (ROC Cohort), from the public school system of the city of São Paulo. School readiness was assessed by the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) tool. Non-parametric techniques were used for the correlation analysis between IDELA scores and sociodemographic and socioeconomic conditions: Spearman's parametric correlation, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The children's mean age was 69 months (standard deviation — SD=2.8; ranging from 55 to 72 months) and most of them came from families with low socioeconomic level. Most children showed adequate readiness in the overall score (65%) and in most domains, except for emergent literacy, in which most (56.9%) were classified as “emergent”. The highest percentage of insufficiency was identified in executive functions (4.1%), which showed a correlation only with the caregiver's education. Conclusions: Children had adequate school readiness scores, except for emergent literacy, but the insufficiency in executive functions may compromise the future schooling of these children. Thus, pedagogical proposals should consider these aspects for learning and pediatricians need to reinforce the habit of reading and playing games to stimulate child development.

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.

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.

Introduction: The prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the population is currently 4%. It is usually associated with problems related to executive functions, attention and emotional regulation. Non-invasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), may compensate for cognitive impairment, thereby benefiting neuroplasticity and long-term outcomes., Aim: The aim is to find evidence concerning the dual application of tDCS with cognitive stimulation activities in the treatment of ADHD in adults, in relation to attention, executive functions and emotional regulation., Materials and Methods: Two reviewers conducted a literature search of Web of Science and PubMed on 22.02.2023, and selected articles that included ADHD patients aged 17-65 years old. The results were analysed using synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM)., Results: Seven of 956 articles were selected for the present review, and were all related to executive functions and attention. No article related to neuromodulation of emotional regulation in adults with ADHD was found. Significant results related to attention and executive functions, and specifically inhibitory control, were found. All studies followed the international 10-20 system developed for the electroencephalogram., Conclusions: Further research is required in view of the limited number of studies found on the symptomatological treatment of ADHD with tDCS in adult populations and the lack of awareness of emotional regulation. This research should use a treatment involving more than two sessions. These tasks do not involve learning and involve a stimulation of more than 1.5 mA.

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.

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

Objetivo: La capacidad intelectual (CI) y las funciones ejecutivas (FE) influyen en el rendimiento académico, lo que a su vez se asocia con la deserción universitaria que es un fenómeno que afecta a la sociedad colombiana en general. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar los factores de la CI y de la FE que tienen que ver con el bajo rendimiento y con el alto rendimiento académico en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios. Metodología: Estudio observacional, transversal de dos grupos (bajo y alto rendimiento académico), de tipo analítico, prospectivo. Resultados: Todas las variables de CI y de FE mostraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos del estudio (p≤0.05), con mejor ejecución por parte de los estudiantes con alto rendimiento académico. Conclusiones: Se encontraron déficits ejecutivos y en el CI, así como en la mayoría de las dimensiones de FE en los estudiantes con bajo rendimiento, tales como menor rendimiento en la organización y categorización verbal, la memoria operativa verbal, la categorización visual y el control inhibitorio, sin que hubiera alteraciones en flexibilidad cognitiva. En el grupo de menor rendimiento también se observó mayor velocidad de la memoria operativa visual que podría entenderse como compensatoria.

Patients with bipolar disorder type I (BP-I) often present with impairments in cognitive function. Offspring unaffected by the disorder can also present with cognitive dysfunction. The objective of this study was to compare the cognitive function of BP-I patients, their unaffected offspring (UO) and healthy control subjects (HC)., Methods: Verbal memory, working memory index, processing speed, attention, verbal and phonological fluency and executive function were evaluated through the application of a neuropsychological battery to three groups made up of BP-I patients that attended the Bipolar Disorder Outpatient Clinic of Clínica San Juan de Dios de Manizales [San Juan de Dios de Manizales Clinic] (n=30), UO (n=32) and control group (n=31). The UO group and the control group were matched by gender, age and level of education., Results: Major differences between the three groups were found in the measures of cognitive functions (except in semantic fluency). The HC group showed better cognitive performance in all the functions. Post-hoc analysis showed similar results in the cognitive performance between BP-I and UO except in verbal learning and executive function tasks where the results were better in UO. A better performance in the control group was found, compared to the UO group, in executive function, attention, working memory, and semantic fluency and phonological areas., Conclusions: These results indicate that the offspring of patients with BP-I present with cognitive impairments without suffering from the disorder. This suggests that cognitive dysfunction presents without diagnosis and supports the hypothesis that it can correspond to a BP-I endophenotype., (Copyright © 2022 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

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.

Introduction: Dual-tasking is a non-pharmacological intervention in people with neurodegenerative conditions, and is used in Parkinson's disease (PD), primarily to enhance motor performance. The aim of this review is to compile the current evidence on how dual-task training affects cognitive processes in people with PD., Material and Methods: A systematic review was undertaken, applying PRISMA guidelines, which included articles obtained from the PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct and Springer Link databases. Methodological quality was assessed using PEDro and ROBINS-I., Results: Twelve articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria: nine of them were randomized controlled trials, and the remaining three were non-randomized studies. Improvements in attention and executive functions were identified, although the diversity of approaches and duration means that reaching definitive conclusions is difficult., Conclusions: Increased research and standardized intervention programmes are essential. Longitudinal and randomized controlled studies in representative samples which provide conclusions that are applicable to other contexts are also important.

Introduction: Social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented many children with neurodevelopmental disorders from accessing face-to-face treatments. Telerehabilitation grew at this time as an alternative therapeutic tool. In this study we analysed remote cognitive rehabilitation in neurodevelopmental disorders., Methods: This was a prospective, quasi-experimental (before-after) study that included 22 patients (mean age 9.41 years) with neurodevelopmental disorders who had telerehabilitation for over six months., Results: After six months of telerehabilitation, a statistically significant improvement was found with a large effect size in these areas: attention (sustained, selective and divided), executive functions (verbal and visual working memory, categorisation, processing speed), visuospatial skills (spatial orientation, perceptual integration, perception, simultanagnosia) and language (comprehensive and expressive). On the Weiss Functional Impairment Scale, all areas (family, learning and school, self-concept, activities of daily living, risk activities) improved with statistical significance. We found a positive correlation between the number of sessions and the improvement observed in executive functions (visual working memory, processing speed), attention (sustained attention, divided attention) and visuospatial skills (spatial orientation, perceptual integration, perception, simultanagnosia). We did not find statistical significance between the family structure and the number of sessions carried out. A high degree of perception of improvement and satisfaction was observed in the parents., Conclusions: Telerehabilitation is a safe alternative tool which, although it does not replace face-to-face therapy, can achieve significant cognitive and functional improvements in children with neurodevelopmental disorders., (Copyright © 2022 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objetivo: verificar a relação e a capacidade preditiva do índice de massa corporal, desempenho aeróbio e motor nos diferentes níveis de desempenho da atenção seletiva, flexibilidade cognitiva e velocidade de processamento em crianças. Métodos: trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado em 271 crianças de 6 a 10 anos de idade. Aptidão cardiorrespiratória foi determinada pelo Intermittent Recovery Test – level 1. A coordenação motora foi mensurada pelo teste Körperkoordination für Kinder (KTK), composto por quatro tarefas: trave de equilíbrio, saltos monopedais, transferência sobre plataformas e saltos laterais. Força foi mensurada pelos saltos a 90º e contramovimento. A atenção e flexibilidade cognitiva foram avaliadas pelo teste de atenção por cancelamento (TAC) (atenção seletiva), teste de trilhas A (atenção sustentada) e B (flexibilidade cognitiva), ambos compostos por tarefa de busca visual. Resultado: as crianças de 6 a 8 anos atingiram maiores valores absolutos nos testes TAC total, Tilhas A soma e Trilhas B (sequencia, conexões e soma) Trilhas B-A em comparação as crianças de de 9 a 11 anos (p63,50) e (0,75, >63,50) escore, respectivamente. Conclusão: crianças com maior desempenho aeróbio e motor apresentaram melhores resultados atenção seletiva, atenção sustentada, flexibilidade cognitiva e velocidade de processamento cognitivo em crianças de 6 a 11 anos e estes componentes executivos parecem ser influenciados diretamente pelo IMC e QM, contudo o IMC assemelhou-se de forma negativa.

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.

Introduction: drug abuse is a health problem that affects millions of people around the world. It could be defined as a concurrent condition in which the behavior has the goal of produce a pleasant sensation and reduce the discomfort produced by the interruption of the drug administration. The drug retirement produces cognitive alterations, particularly in memory and executive function. Those effects are due to the vulnerability of prefrontal cortex to the drug effects. Poly drug use is defined as the simultaneous intake, or separated in short time lapses, of several drugs. This kind of drug intake has been poorly studied in comparison to other addictions. Objective: to evaluate the effects of poly drug use in three groups of drug consumers evaluated with a neuropsychological battery. Method: thirty-six poly drug consumers were included and eleven non consumers integrated a control group (total sample: 47 subjects). Poly drug consumers were divided in three different groups depending on the kind of drugs consumed. All poly drug users were evaluated with the Neuropsychological battery “Neuropsi Atención y Memoria” and were compared against the performance of control group. Conclusion and discussion: neuropsychological affections were observed, particularly in verbal memory and evocation (both verbal and visuospatial) as well as in abstract attitude and inhibition (p < 0.05). We observed several relapses and readmissions in the rehabilitation center. The findings over inhibition and abstract attitude could explain the poor adhesion to treatment, alterations in everyday life and several relapses.

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.

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.

Objetivo: el déficit en los procesos cognitivos, específicamente en el rendimiento ejecutivo, de los pacientes con esquizofrenia se ha asociado con mala adaptación social. Un modelo factorial de las funciones ejecutivas permitiría detectar la asociación entre el perfil sintomático, el deterioro de la función ejecutiva y las necesidades de rehabilitación. El objetivo de esta investigación fue identificar factores de la función ejecutiva mediante un análisis factorial de las puntuaciones tipificadas de una serie de pruebas neuropsicológicas, en un grupo de pacientes ambulatorios con diagnósticos del espectro de la esquizofrenia. Metodología: estudio factorial mediante un análisis de componentes principales (ACP) con rotación ortogonal (varimax) de 13 medidas neuropsicológicas estandarizadas. Resultados: se obtuvieron tres factores independientes: (1) flexibilidad cognitiva, (2) control de la interferencia y memoria de trabajo y (3) velocidad de procesamiento y atención, que proporcionan una medición psicométrica adecuada del desempeño ejecutivo de los pacientes estudiados. Conclusiones: el análisis revela una estructura compleja de tres dimensiones cognitivas discretas que se pueden medir con una batería de uso común en la clínica.

Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience executive function alterations, resulting in difficulties with attentional control and cognitive flexibility. Considering the complexity of the processes involved in reading comprehension and the fundamental role that the executive function plays in these processes, it is expected that children with ADHD display differences in performance compared to their peers without ADHD. This correlational predictive study aims to determine whether such reading comprehension differences really exist and if it is possible to predict them on the basis of the executive function. To this purpose, 71 third and fourth grade primary school students (32 with ADHD and 39 without ADHD) were selected, and their skills in reading comprehension, word recognition, verbal working memory, attentional control and processing speed were evaluated. In addition, a binary logistic regression analysis was applied to determine which variables predicted the reading comprehension level of the students. The results indicate that ADHD significantly influences reading comprehension skills in schoolchildren and that variables linked to the executive function, especially verbal working memory, are good predictors of reading comprehension performance.

Introduction: Executive functions and Metacognition are integrated for the management of intellectual resources in close relation to intelligence its functioning and results; they are specially interesting for understanding the expression and development of high intellectual abilility (HIA). The aim of the study is to find out the relationship between executive functions (and components) and metacognition (and components) in schoolchildren with HIA., Materials and Method: Measures of executive and metacognitive functioning and perfectionism were extracted from a sample of n= 147 schoolchildren with HIA., Results: statistical analyses using Path analysis, offered an adjusted model in which the different executive components are related to the metacognitive components., Discussion: We conclude and discuss the integrative model between executive function and metacognition and its mediating role as an endophenotype between genetic endowment and the expression of resource performance, suggesting the transfer of results to the education of high intellectual ability for the optimal and ethical expression of high potential.

Introduction: According to the prefrontal model, individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) manifest behaviours mimicking dysexecutive syndrome as a result of blood gas abnormalities and sleep fragmentation., Objective: To compare executive functions in OSA patients with normative values and explore their relationship with blood gas abnormalities and sleep fragmentation., Patients and Methods: Patients were recruited from the wider community and from a tertiary care hospital. The score obtained in the neuropsychological assessment was compared with Student's t-test for a sample. A multiple linear regression analysis was subsequently estimated, using polysomnographic parameters of hypercapnia, hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation as the predictor variables, and the executive function score as the variable to be predicted., Results: Although the neuropsychological assessment performance of 26% of this sample was classified as executive impairment, indicators of sleep fragmentation and gas abnormalities failed to predict the performance of executive functions., Conclusion: A proportion of the patients with OSA presented performance similar to a dysexecutive syndrome; however, the factors underlying and fostering this type of cognitive manifestation remain unclear. Early treatment for this public health problem could be the best tool available for improving quality of life and preventing health risks.

Introduction: It has been hypothesized that cognitive and memory-related brain function in transgender during cross-sex hormonal treatment might be activated towards that of the subjective gender. However, research on this topic has produced inconsistent results, and to the best of our knowledge no studies have investigated neurocognitive changes in androgen-treated female-to-male (FM) transgender adolescents., Subjects and Methods: A total of 15 FM transgender adolescents (14-17 years) underwent neuropsychological testing in order to examine the effects of androgen on visuo-spacial abilities, verbal memory language, processing speed and executive functions. We used a longitudinal design in which 10 participants were tested twice, before and after receiving 12 months of testosterone treatment. This group was also compared with 5 FM transgender adolescents off-androgen treatment., Results: Participants tested before and after 12 months of androgen treatment improved significantly on processing speed in a visuo-spatial (Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test) and in a visuo-oral task (Stroop), their performance on a verbal memory task (TAVEC) and on interference (Stroop) and they exhibited lower impulsivity control (CARAS-R). On-androgen treatment adolescents exhibited worse cognitive impulsivity control than off-androgen treatment adolescents., Conclusions: The results indicate that androgen has an influence on immediate verbal memory, cognitive interference, impulsivity control and processing speed.

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.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of a cognitive stimulation and physical activity integrated programme, over a period of twenty weeks, on several variables linked to the executive function construct, compared with other physical activity program without additional cognitive stimulation. The participants were 57 women from Malaga City, Spain, whose age ranged between 65 and 69 years old (M = 66.07; SD = 1.31). A pre-post test design was applied to two random groups. One of them followed a programme of physical exercises without added cognitive stimulation and the other one followed the cognitive and physical activity integrated programme. The tools to evaluate the cognitive skills were Trail Making Test (A and B) and Stroop Test. In order to determine the effects of the treatment a mixed bi-factor analysis of variance was applied to each dependent variable. The results revealed positive effects in both groups and differences in favor of integrated programme. This paper helps to increase the body of knowledge on the application and effects of this type of interventions.

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.

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).

Introduction: Theory of mind (TM) is involved in social cognition, as it evaluates our ability to impute our mental states to the others in order to predict and explain behaviour. In the literature, it has been noticed that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show some impairments of TM when compared with children not neurodevelopmental impaired. Our goal in this study was to compare the TM in two groups: schooler children with normal development and schooler children with ADHD., Subjects and Methods: A total of 35 children, aged between 6 and 12 years, were recruited: 17 with ADHD and 18 not neurodevelopmental impaired. TM was evaluated using an assessment method validated for the Portuguese population: Turtle on the Island-Battery of Assessment of Executive Functions in Children., Results: We obtained two comparable groups concerning sociodemographic data. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding TM., Conclusion: The TM assessment in Portuguese children did not reveal significant impairment regarding this cognitive skill in children with ADHD.

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.

Antecedentes: El folato junto a otras vitaminas del complejo B cumplen importantes funciones en la modulación de la expresión génica y síntesis del ADN, siendo necesarios para la detoxificación de la homocisteína y la síntesis de neurotransmisores imprescindibles para el mantenimiento de la función cognitiva. Objetivo: Revisar sistemáticamente la evidencia científica sobre beneficios y/o riesgos de los folatos y nutrientes relacionados en la función cognitiva del adulto mayor. Material y método: "Revisión sistemática en Medline, vía Pubmed", y en referencias de artículos seleccionados entre los años 2005-2011, considerando específicamente nivel de folatos séricos e intraeritrocitarios, ingesta de folatos y función cognitiva en el adulto mayor. Resultados: Se encontraron doce estudios transversales, seis estudios de cohorte, y seis estudios clínicos randomizados a doble ciego que cumplieron con los criterios pre-establecidos. Conclusión: Esta revisión no permite concluir que la suplementación de ácido fólico tenga un efecto positivo sobre la función cognitiva en el adulto mayor. Considerando que bajos niveles séricos de folatos podrían relacionarse con un mayor riesgo de deterioro cognitivo y que altos niveles asociados a un bajo nivel de vitamina B12 sérica favorecería un mayor deterioro, se sugiere como medida precautoria revisar los niveles establecidos para fortificar alimentos con ácido fólico para limitar riesgos y maximizar beneficios.Background: Folate and other B complex vitamins play important roles in the synthesis of DNA, gene expression, homocysteine detoxification and synthesis of neurotransmitters necessary for the maintenance of cognitive function. Aim: Systematic literature review of benefit and/ risks of folate and related nutrients in cognitive function in older adults. Material and methods: "Medline via Pubmed systematic review" of selected articles from years 2010 and May 2011 and references of the selected articles looking specifically at serum and erythrocyte folate levels, and folate intake and cognitive function in older adults. Results: Twelve cross-sectional studies, six cohort studies and six randomized double-blind clinical studies that met pre-established criteria were selected for analysis. Conclusions: This review doesn´t support a benefit from folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in the elderly. Whereas low folate serum levels may be related to increased risk of cognitive impairment and high levels associated with low levels of vitamin B12 can contribute a further deterioration, it is suggested as precautory measure to re-examine the present level of food fortification with folic acid to maximize benefits and limit potential risks.

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

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.

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.

Beyond the frequent coexistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disorder (dyslexia), the present review aims to examine the available empirical evidence on how ADHD negatively impacts on learning to read. Existing data suggest that the presence of the disorder (especially inattention symptoms), may affect i) the correct acquisition of reading, either directly or through its influence on the precursors to reading; ii) decoding skills themselves (reading accuracy and fluency), both directly and indirectly through its influence on cognitive processes such as distractibility or executive functions; and iii) reading comprehension, probably indirectly through the executive and verbal memory difficulties characteristic of ADHD. These findings have important implications for better characterizing and intervening on reading difficulties in ADHD, whether clinical or subclinical.