Cognitive training as a resolution for early executive function difficulties in children with intellectual disabilities

Core executive functions (EF) such as attention, and working memory have been strongly associated with academic achievement, language development and behavioral stability. In the case of children who are vulnerable to cognitive and learning problems because of an underlying intellectual disability, EF difficulties will likely exacerbate an already compromised cognitive system. The current review examines cognitive training programs that aim to improve EF, specifically focusing on the potential of this type of intervention for children who have intellectual disabilities. We conclude that despite considerable discrepancies regarding reported intervention effects, these inconsistencies can be attributed to flaws in both program and study design. We discuss the steps needed to address these limitations and to facilitate the advancement of non-pharmaceutical interventions for children with intellectual disabilities.     

Atención recibida al final de la vida en los servicios de urgencias desde la perspectiva de los cuidadores: estudio cualitativo

Objective

To discover the experiences of end-of-life patients attended by the emergency services, through the discourse of the family caregivers who accompanied the family member in this care transit.

儿童支气管哮喘与注意缺陷多动障碍的关系及其危险因素

近年来儿童慢性疾病与神经精神疾病的关系及其致病机制已成为儿科领域研究的热点和难点。支气管哮喘(简称哮喘)是儿童期常见的慢性疾病之一,最新基于人群的大样本报道证实哮喘与儿童最常见的神经发育障碍性疾病注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD)之间关系密切。现就哮喘和ADHD的具体关系及其危险因素最新研究进展进行综述,以期认识二者之间的关系及其危险因素,便于哮喘患儿的长程临床管理。     

Caudate nucleus volume and cognitive performance: Are they related in childhood psychopathology?

BACKGROUND: Impaired neuropsychological test performance, especially on tests of executive function and attention, is often seen in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Structures involved in fronto-striatal circuitry, such as the caudate nucleus, may support these cognitive abilities. However, few studies have examined caudate volumes specifically in children with ASD, or correlated caudate volumes to cognitive ability. METHODS: Neuropsychological test scores and caudate volumes of children with ASD were compared to those of children with bipolar disorder (BD) and of typically developing (TD) children. The relationship between test performance and caudate volumes was analyzed. RESULTS: The ASD group displayed larger right and left caudate volumes, and modest executive deficits, compared to TD controls. While caudate volume inversely predicted performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in all participants, it differentially predicted performance on measures of attention across the ASD, BD and TD groups. CONCLUSIONS: Larger caudate volumes were related to impaired problem solving. On a test of attention, larger left caudate volumes predicted increased impulsivity and more omission errors in the ASD group as compared to the TD group, however smaller volume predicted poorer discriminant responding as compared to the BD group.     

Saccadic reaction times in acute and remitted schizophrenics

Summary Schizophrenics are known to have various disturbances of the visuomotor system. Whereas smooth pursuit eye movement disorders have been repeatedly confirmed, there are relatively few reports regarding possible disturbances of the saccadic system. In this study, the saccadic reaction times of 47 schizophrenic inpatients were investigated upon admission and later in the remitted state; 28 age- and sex-matched normal volunteers were tested as controls. Psychopathology and outcome were evaluated according to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Prognostic Scale. Light stimuli were presented at random direction, location (ranging from 0° to 20°) and duration (800, 1000, and 1200 ms). The eye movements were recorded by electro-oculography. Compared with the control group, schizophrenics revealed prolonged saccadic reaction times, which correlated with pronounced negative symptoms and an unfavourable course of the illness. The saccadic reaction times remained prolonged in schizophrenic patients. These findings suggest attentional deficits in schizophrenics.This article was presented in part at the Symposium on Eye Movements and Psychopathology, Berlin, 23–24 June 1988     

Attentional demands of continuously monitoring orientation using vestibular information.

The aim of this series of experiments was to determine whether attention is normally required for continuously processing vestibular information concerning orientation, or is required only when orientation is disrupted (eg by vestibular dysfunction or by conflicting visual and vestibular orientation cues). In the first two studies, healthy subjects were passively oscillated, and indicated when they perceived they were passing through their starting position. There was only weak evidence for interference between performance on this 'continuous orientation monitoring task' and on concurrent mental tasks. However, a third study showed that when patients with vestibular imbalance carried out the continuous orientation monitoring task their performance on a concurrent mental arithmetic task was substantially impaired. This dual task interference was correlated with inaccuracy in judging orientation on the continuous orientation monitoring task, which in turn correlated with severity of recent vestibular symptomatology (assessed by questionnaire). In a fourth experiment, disorientation was induced in healthy subjects by rotating the visual field about the line of sight. Bidirectional interference was observed between monitoring orientation (assessed by accuracy in setting a rod to the perceived vertical) and performance of an arithmetic task. Dual task interference was correlated with baseline levels of disorientation induced by the visual field, as indicated by inaccuracy in judging the visual vertical. These findings suggest that monitoring orientation makes significant demands upon cortical processing resources when disorientation is induced, whether the disorientation results from deficient sensory functioning or from ambiguous perceptual information.