Applied Neuropsychology: Child最新文献

Many adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have executive functioning (EF) difficulties that contribute to academic and social-emotional challenges. This pilot explored adherence to and effectiveness of modified Goal Management Training (GMT), an EF intervention, with ADHD youth. Six adolescents with ADHD (14-17 years, 2 female) participated in a 6-session online group. Adherence was tracked via attendance and homework. Reliable change scores gaged pre-post differences on measures before and after training (primary: everyday EF and goal attainment; secondary: EF task performance, functional impairment, emotional adjustment, and self-concept). All youth attended at least 4 sessions, though homework completion was mixed. Four youth achieved their goal, some demonstrated reliable change on outcome measures, and all evidenced a reduction in impairment. Results support the feasibility of modified GMT in adolescents with ADHD and suggest that youth may benefit from this more personalized and holistic approach to EF intervention.

The relationship between brainwave oscillations and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-related cognitive challenges is a trending proposition in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience. Studies suggest the role of brainwave oscillations in the symptom expressions of ADHD-diagnosed children. Intervention studies have further suggested the scope of brain stimulation techniques in improving cognition. The current manuscript explored the effect of changes in the brainwaves post-sensory entrainment on cognitive performance of children. We calculated each participant's brainwave difference and ratios of theta, alpha, and beta power after the entrainment sessions. Further, we explored possible correlations between these values and the psychometric scores. The beta resting state showed the strongest association with selective attention performance of all participants. Theta-beta ratio (TBR) showed an inverse correlation with selective attention and working memory performances. The theta frequency was associated with decreased working performance in children without ADHD. Our findings also suggest a predominant role of TBR than the theta-alpha ratio in determining the cognitive performance of children with ADHD. The individual differences in the entrainment reception were attributed to the participant's age, IQ, and their innate baseline frequencies. The implications of our findings can initiate substantiating brainwave-based entrainment sessions as a therapeutic modality to improve cognition among children.

Objective: Sleep problems and executive dysfunction are associated with functional impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate these aspects in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and SLD with comorbid Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while also evaluating differences with typically developing (TD) children. Our study hypothesizes that children with SLD, especially those with comorbid ADHD, face greater sleep disturbances and executive function challenges compared to TD peers. We also propose that sleep disturbances aggravate functional impairment and that executive functions mediate this relationship.

Method: The data obtained from psychiatric evaluations, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires filled out by parents were analyzed.

Results: SLD + ADHD group had worse scores in all scales, followed by SLD and TD groups. Mediator analysis demonstrated that executive functions had a mediator role in the relationship between sleep problems and functional impairment.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that children with SLD experience more significant difficulties in daily living than their typically developing peers and having ADHD comorbidity, poor executive functions, and additional sleep problems can further exacerbate impairment. Notably, our mediation analysis suggests that executive functions mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and the severity of functional impairments.

It was aimed to evaluate the relationships between neuropsychological functions, self-reported metacognitive abilities, and resilience levels among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and those with Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) compared to healthy controls. This cross-sectional, case-control study was consisted of 36 children with CDS only, 36 with ADHD only, 33 with CDS and ADHD and 39 control children were enrolled for a total sample of 144 children. The intellectual and neuropsychological functioning of the participating children was evaluated using the WISC-IV. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Children(MAI-C), Emotional Resilience Scale(ERS), and Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale(RCADS) were used. In both Processing Speed Index (PSI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), children with CDS had significantly lower scores compared to those with ADHD, while those with ADHD and ADHD + CDS were similar to each other and controls. Children with CDS had greater metacognitive awareness than those with ADHD only and those with ADHD + CDS, whereas controls had the greatest level of metacognitive awareness. The emotional sensitivity of children with CDS was similar to that of children with ADHD + CDS and significantly greater than that of children with ADHD and controls, while control children had the lowest levels. The results of this study suggest that metacognitive abilities and emotional resilience may be targeted in rehabilitation/therapy of children with CDS ± ADHD and that interventions targeting processing speed and perceptual reasoning in younger children with CDS symptoms may be beneficial.

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is a general neurodevelopmental syndrome. This affects both adults and children, causing issues like hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. Diagnosis, typically reliant on patient narratives and questionnaires, can sometimes be inaccurate, leading to distress. We propose utilizing empirical mode decomposition (EMD) for feature extraction and a machine learning (ML) algorithm to categorize ADHD and control.

Method: Publicly available Kaggle dataset is used for research. The EMD technique decomposes an electroencephalogram (EEG) waveform to 12 intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Thirty-one statistical parameters are generated over the first 6 IMFs to create an input feature vector for the deep belief network (DBN) classifier. Principal component analysis (PCA) is utilized to reduce dimension.

Findings: Experimental results are compared on prefrontal cortex channels Fp1 and Fp2. After an in-depth evaluation of all metrics, it is observed that, in patients with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex regulates attention, behavior, and emotion. Our findings align with established neuroscience. The critical functions of the brain, such as organization, planning, attention, and decision making, are performed by the frontal lobe.

Novelty: Our work provides a novel approach to understanding the disorder's underlying neurobiological mechanisms. It has the potential to deepen our understanding of the condition, improve diagnostic accuracy, personalize treatment methods, and, ultimately, improve outcomes for those affected.

We, the Authors, Editors and Publisher of the journal Applied Neuropsychology: Child have retracted the following article:Psychological resilience, emotional symptoms, and recovery duration in adolescent sport-related concussion, DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2024.2317307 (Feb 2024).Julia C. Nahman, Cody Staples, Lauren N. Irwin Harper, Luis Ahumada, Mohamed Rehman, Sarah Irani, P. Patrick Mularoni, Danielle M. RansomFollowing publication, the authors have requested the retraction of this article in line with the procedures outlined by the John Hopkins University Institutional Review Board (IRB). This is due to the parent study being terminated; as a result, the IRB approval granted for the secondary study reported in the article was suspended at the time of publication.We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines.The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as 'Retracted'.

Executive function (EF) in specific learning disorders (SLD) has been investigated using mainly cool EF tasks, whilst less is known about hot EF and theory of mind (ToM) in this population. The aim of this study was to examine group differences in hot and cool EF and ToM in school-aged children with SLD relative to typically developing peers. It also attempted to investigate whether EF measures are significant predictors of ToM in SLD and typical development. Cross-sectional data were collected from 135 school-aged children with and without SLD (8-10 years old), tested on measures of cool & hot EF and ToM. Significant group differences were observed in EFs inhibition (p= .04), working memory (p= .04) and delay of gratification (p < .001), as well as ToM mental state/emotion recognition (p = .019). Inhibition and planning contributed to 22% of the explained variance of ToM mental state/emotion recognition, but not false belief overall. Results suggest that cool EF may be a crucial predictor of ToM in children with and without SLD. Finally, stepwise logistic regression analysis identified specific hot EF and ToM measures contributing to group differentiation, specifically delay of gratification (odds ratio=.995, 95% CI [.993-.998]) and mental state/emotion recognition (odds ratio= .89, 95% CI [.796-.995]). This study contributes to our understanding of cognitive deficits and socio-cognitive impairment in children with SLD, which hold promise for informing interventions aimed at addressing these cognitive challenges.

Aim: The Hand10 questionnaire is used to assess upper extremity functions through 10 daily activity items and is designed for clarity with visual content that enhances comprehension. This study aimed to determine the validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the Hand10 in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP).

Methods: The Hand10 was tested for validity and internal consistency with 63 children with uCP and their families, aged 6 to 15 years. Additionally, 43 children and their families were re-interviewed two weeks later to determine test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was examined by correlating scores on Hand10 and ABILHAND-Kids.

Results: The Hand10 was strongly correlated with ABILHAND-Kids-Total score (p < 0.001, r = 0.766). The Hand10 showed excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.96, 95%CI: 0.92-0.97) and high internal consistency for the total score (α = 0.92). For all items, item-total correlations were adequate (corrected item-total correlations, 0.62-0.80). The Hand10 score showed a statistically significant difference between the Manual Ability Classification System levels (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The Hand10 demonstrates excellent reliability and strong validity in assessing manual dexterity during daily activities in children with uCP.

Portable EEG-based neurofeedback (NFT) has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, its overall efficacy remains under scrutiny, particularly in comparison to traditional interventions. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of portable EEG-based NFT in improving ADHD symptoms. A total of 10 published studies were included, involving 260 children diagnosed with ADHD in the NFT intervention groups and 131 children in control groups who did not receive NFT. The within-group analysis indicated post-treatment improvements in ADHD symptom severity for children receiving NFT. Control groups also showed modest improvements, likely reflecting nonspecific treatment effects such as placebo or general engagement. However, the between-group comparison revealed a significant advantage for NFT, with children who received portable EEG-based NFT exhibiting greater reductions in ADHD symptoms compared to controls. These findings suggest that portable EEG-based NFT yields meaningful improvements in core ADHD symptoms, including inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, and supports its potential as a scalable and sustainable alternative to traditional interventions, such as pharmacological treatments.