Search results for " executive function"
showing 10 items of 46 documents
A computational approach for the assessment of executive functions in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder
2019
Previous studies on obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) showed impairments in executive domains, particularly in cognitive inhibition. In this perspective, the use of virtual reality showed huge potential in the assessment of executive functions; however, unfortunately, to date, no study on the assessment of these patients took advantage of the use of virtual environments. One of the main problems faced within assessment protocols is the use of a limited number of variables and tools when tailoring a personalized program. The main aim of this study was to provide a heuristic decision tree for the future development of tailored assessment protocols. To this purpose, we conducted a study that…
Executive functions in kindergarten children at risk for developmental coordination disorder
2018
Executive functioning (EF) is a key cognitive process for development. Little is known about EF in Kindergarten children at risk for developmental coordination disorder (DCD), despite this age being one of the most critical and intensive period of motor and cognitive development. In our investigation we compared EF in kindergarten children at risk for DCD with Typically Developing (TD) children. Participants were 36 Italian children, 18 at risk for DCD (9 boys and 9 girls) who had a mean age of 4.6 years and 18 TD (9 boys and 9 girls) who had a mean age of 4.6. Executive functions were measured by tasks targeting cold executive functioning (working memory, fluency, inhibitory control) and t…
Subgroups of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder without Intellectual Disability: A Longitudinal Examination of Executive and Socio-Adaptive Behav…
2021
Within the autistic spectrum, there is remarkable variability in the etiology, presentation, and treatment response. This prospective study was designed to identify, through cluster analysis, subgroups of individuals with ASD without intellectual disability (ID) based on the severity of the core symptoms in childhood. The secondary aim was to explore whether these subgroups and a group with typical development (TD) differ in cognitive, adaptive, and social aspects measured in adolescence. The sample at baseline was comprised of 52 children with ASD without ID and 37 children with TD, aged 7–11. Among the ASD group, three clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (40%), ‘high severity’, presented …
Facial emotion recognition in children and adolescents with specific learning disorder
2020
(1) Background: Some recent studies suggest that children and adolescents with different neurodevelopmental disorders perform worse in emotions recognition through facial expressions (ER) compared with typically developing peers. This impairment is also described in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), compromising their scholastic achievement, social functioning, and quality of life. The purpose of our study is to evaluate ER skills in children and adolescents with SLD compared to a control group without learning disorders, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. (2) Materials and Methods: Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-three chil…
The effect of age on cognitive performance of frontal patients
2015
Age is known to affect prefrontal brain structure and executive functioning in healthy older adults, patients with neurodegenerative conditions and TBI. Yet, no studies appear to have systematically investigated the effect of age on cognitive performance in patients with focal lesions. We investigated the effect of age on the cognitive performance of a large sample of tumour and stroke patients with focal unilateral, frontal (n=68), or non-frontal lesions (n=45) and healthy controls (n=52). We retrospectively reviewed their cross sectional cognitive and imaging data. In our frontal patients, age significantly predicted the magnitude of their impairment on two executive tests (Raven's Advanc…
Confabulation: damage to a specific inferior medial prefrontal system
2008
Confabulation, the pathological production of false memories, occurs following a variety of aetiologies involving the frontal lobes, and is frequently held to be underpinned by combined memory and executive deficits. However, the critical frontal regions and specific cognitive deficits involved are unclear. Studies in amnesic patients have associated confabulation with damage to the orbital and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. However, neuroimaging studies have associated memory-control processes which are assumed to underlie confabulation with the right lateral prefrontal cortex. We used a confabulation battery to investigate the occurrence and localisation of confabulation in an unselect…
Break in volition: a virtual reality study in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
2013
Research in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) produced inconsistent results in demonstrating an association between patients’ symptom severity and their cognitive impairments. The process involved in volition aspects of behavioral syndromes can be extensively analyzed using specific tests developed in virtual environments, more suitable to manipulate rules and possible breaks of the normal task execution with different, confusing or stopping instructions. The study involved thirty participants (15 OCD patients and 15 controls) during task execution and the relative interferences. At this purpose, the virtual version of Multiple Errands Test was used. Virtual reality setting, with a higher…
Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: a case-control study in preschool children.
2019
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurobehavioral and developmental conditions that include impairments in a triad of behavioral domains: social development, communication and repetitive behavior/obsessive interests. This case-control study aims to assess executive functioning in ASD preschoolers. Methods: A sample of 50 children participated in the study (24 males and 26 females; age ranged between 2.7 and 3.5 years). The study sample was subdivided into two groups: 25 ASD children and 25 typically developing children as a control group. All participants were administered the BRIEF-P test to assess executive functioning. Results: The two groups were counterbalanced for age an…
Executive functioning in preschool children affected by autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study
2017
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a complex set of neurological dysfunction and development characterized by deficits in social and non-verbal interaction. Few studies have explored the executive functioning in ASD preschoolers. The aim of this pilot study is the assessment of executive functioning in preschool children with ASD. Material and methods: 8 ASD children (7 males, 1 female) mean age 3.09 (SD ± 0.83 years) were enrolled in the study and compared with a control group of 15 typically developing children (12 males, 3 females) (mean age 24.3 ± 0.61). All subjects underwent assessment of executive functioning with the BRIEF-P test. Results: The two groups were matched …
The complex cognitive system of executive functioning: A conceptual review
2018
Every day we are faced with a variety of situations that require the use of cognitive processes different, such as recognizing and memorizing stimuli, understanding and producing statements, solving problems. In recent decades, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology have made considerable advances in description of these processes and how they can be disrupted as a result of an injury to the nervous system central. However, it is clear that our adaptation to the environment is not limited to perceiving, reading, and speaking. A fundamental aspect of mental life is represented by the need to continuously modulate the use of these cognitive resources to contingent needs according to our goa…