Applied Neuropsychology: Child最新文献

In aphasia, damage to brain regions responsible for language processing disrupts access to words previously learned and consolidated in the mental lexicon, causing people with aphasia (PWA) to experience word finding difficulties that negatively impact their everyday communication. This study seeks to investigate the effects of a psycholinguistic training based on phonology and semantics on sentence production in a aphasic child with cerebral palsy. The study used a single-subject multiple- baseline research design across behaviors. A 13-year-old boy, named AE with expressive aphasia, admitted to Speech and Swallowing Disorders Clinic, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University was recruited to participate in this study. The aphasic child with cerebral palsy was found to be successful at the end of the training sessions, compared to the baseline. In other words, there was a positive difference between the data obtained in the first and last training sessions for each child.

Background: Methamphetamine is a substance that causes neurotoxicity and its use is increasing in recent years. Literature highlights cognitive impairment resulting from Methamphetamine use. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between cognitive impairment and inflammatory processes in adolescents with Methamphetamine use disorder.

Methods: The study included 69 adolescents aged 15-19 years, comprising 37 participants with Methamphetamine Use Disorder and 32 healthy controls. Central Nervous System Vital Signs was used to detect cognitive impairment. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-33 and The Children's Depression Inventory scales were used. In addition, venous blood was collected from the volunteers. Biochemical parameters (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-a, BDNF, FAM19A5, TAS, TOS) were analyzed.

Results: Our study showed that (I) IL-6 and TNF-a levels of Methamphetamine users were lower than the healthy group; (II) BDNF levels of Methamphetamine users were higher than the healthy group; (III) mean Neurocognitive Index in cognitive tests of Methamphetamine using adolescents was negatively correlated with duration of Methamphetamine use and BDNF levels.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that Methamphetamine use may have a negative effect on cognitive functions.

This study examines functional brain network changes in children with frontal lobe tumors (FLT). Ten pediatric FLT patients from Beijing Tiantan Hospital and 20 healthy children were compared in terms of cognitive performance and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) connectivity. The FLT group showed lower cognitive performance, particularly in visual and working memory domains, but had comparable attention abilities to the healthy controls. There were notable differences in connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) in both groups. The FLT group also displayed a significant reduction in local efficiency in the left lateral parietal area within the DMN. Importantly, reduced DMN-SMN connections and increased DMN-lateral prefrontal cortex connectivity may facilitate maintaining attention and memory tasks in FLT children. This study sheds light on how the brains of children with FLT adapt, preserving "normal" attention functions despite frontal lobe damage.

The neurodevelopmental disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), frequently affecting youngsters, is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, the etiology of which may involve a variety of genetic, environmental, and neurological factors. Electroencephalography (EEG) measures the electrical activity in the brain through neuronal activity, which is a function of cognitive processes. In this study, a previously recorded sample set of 121 children containing unbiased data from both ADHD and control group classes and EEG signals were analyzed to classify the ADHD patients. The samples were tested under different cognitive conditions, and multiple features were extracted using Euclidean distance. Many machine learning algorithms use Euclidean distance as their default distance metric to compare two recorded data points. The extracted features were trained using four supervised machine learning algorithms (linear regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and K nearest neighbor (KNN)) based on the results of various frequency bands. The results suggest that the KNN algorithm produces the highest accuracy over other machine learning approaches, and results can be further improved with the application of hyperparameter tuning and used for classifying sub-groups of ADHD to identify the severity of the disorder.

The present study aimed to investigate the improvement of reading ability and cognitive performance of children with reading difficulties through a Web application named "Poke the Reading Ability" (PtRA). PtRA is designed to assist the intervention of reading difficulties in Greek, a language that is more transparent than English. Sixty (60) children between nine (9) to twelve (12) years old (mean age 10.18 years). The baseline assessment consisted of two batteries of reading and cognitive abilities tests. Test-A, a Greek standardized psychometric tool and Askisi, a newly developed neuropsychological battery of tests are adopted to assess reading and cognitive performance. Both tools, were used in order to screen children's reading and cognitive performance before and after implementing the PtRA. The PtRA Web intervention consists of (a) tasks that focus on improving visual and auditory working memory, (b) tasks that improve phonological awareness and decoding, (c) tasks that are adopted to strengthen visual discrimination ability and (d) tasks that improve reading comprehension ability. Following the Web delivered intervention program the results revealed that the reading and cognitive abilities of children with reading difficulties were statistically significant improved in all 9 reading and all 3 cognitive abilities tasks.

This study investigates the effectiveness of a computerized cognitive test battery embedded within a video game to assess executive functions (EF) in deaf and hearing children. We evaluated a diverse cohort of 290 elementary school students aged 5 to 13 years (mean age = 8.86, SD = 1.96), comprising 74 sign language users, 14 Spanish-speaking deaf participants, 23 children with mixed communication methods, and 179 typically hearing individuals. Our statistical analysis focused on item discrimination, reliability, and criterion validation of the game-based assessments. The results indicated high reliability and effective discrimination of EF across the game's three primary stages. External validation was conducted using the Matrices Test, educational attainment, and age as variables. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.377, p < 0.001) was observed between the Matrices Test scores and game-based achievement scores. Furthermore, linear regression analysis revealed education (Standardized Beta = 0.339) and age (Standardized Beta = 0.179) as significant predictors of performance in these scores. This study underscores the value of integrating computerized cognitive assessments within a video game environment for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations, highlighting its potential in diverse child populations.

Referral sources and parents value the report following a neuropsychological evaluation. Nevertheless, key stakeholders have described pediatric reports as excessive in length and jargon. Recent research indicates that it is possible to modify pediatric neuropsychological reports that result in positive outcomes for key stakeholders and clinicians. Evaluating modified pediatric neuropsychological reports for other providers is necessary. School psychologists are key stakeholders who read and interact with such reports. This study assessed school psychologists' perceptions of a modified pediatric neuropsychological report. Forty-one school psychologists were randomly assigned to read either a traditional or modified version of a pediatric report and provide feedback via survey and qualitative questions. Results revealed that school psychologists' perceptions of a traditional and modified report were not significantly different. Qualitatively, respondents noted a disconnect between recommendations and school systems. These findings suggest that pediatric neuropsychologists can create shorter and more easily understood reports that do not impact the effectiveness for school psychologists. Future research should continue to evaluate perceptions of modified pediatric neuropsychological reports for additional key stakeholders. A better understanding of the disconnect between recommendations and their feasibility in schools, as well as barriers to increased interdisciplinary collaboration, is also essential for client care.

There has been an ongoing debate on how to diagnose learning disability (LD), with experts proposing different approaches. Very limited research is available on the diagnosis of LD in Turkey. This study aims to analyze the problems related to the diagnosis of LD in Turkey. For this purpose, the intelligence test results of the diagnosed students, the opinions of the teachers who referred them for the diagnosis, and the views of the child psychiatrists and psychological counselors involved in the diagnosis were examined. The results showed that the IQ-Achievement Discrepancy approach is implemented in Turkey. It was also revealed that the students' Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) average score was 80.31, and teachers mostly reported the weaknesses of the students during the diagnosis process. Psychological counselors and psychiatrists pointed out the outdatedness of the tools used in the diagnosis, the limited number of measurement instruments to be used in the diagnosis, referral of too many students, and the lack of specialists to work in the diagnosis. The results are discussed on the basis of diagnostic approaches.

This study examines the effectiveness of a program based on mental imagery on improvement working memory in children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in inclusion classroom. 30 children (both sexes; 20 boys and 10 girls) with ASD aged 7-8 years old in primary one from school for inclusion were recruited. T-tests analyses were performed to determine whether there were differences between pretest and posttest measures for both the intervention and control groups. Quantitative data obtained at the beginning and end of the experimental process were analyzed in the SPSS 23.00 package program. Then, the necessary tests were conducted to determine the difference in the working memory performance level children in the experimental and control groups. T-test analysis for the differences in post- test mean scores between control and treatment groups in working memory(WM) shows that the intervention group outperformed the control group in numerical, verbal, and visual memory.

The purpose of this study is to evaluation of executive functions of obese children and adolescents. Thirty children and adolescents with obesity between the ages of 11 and 18 and thirty age- and sex-matched healthy weight-peers were included. Participants with a body mass index (BMI) value of 5 to 85thpercentile and >95thpercentile were classified as normal and obese, respectively. Turkish Version of Kiddy Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL-T) was applied for excluding participants with psychiatric diagnoses. All children and their parents were asked to fill out Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) to evaluate executive functions. Children with obesity tended to complete Part 4 and Part 5 of SCWT in longer time (p = 0.043 and p = 0.018, respectively). Rate of obesity was higher among nuclear family members (p = 0.001) with a higher number of relatives positive for history of a psychiatric disorder (p = 0.020). While children with obesity reported higher rates of peer problems as measured by SDQ (p = 0.030), there was no significant difference in parent forms. In conclusion, although children with obesity may have disruptions in their executive functions to some degree, this does not refer a generalized impairment.