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Impaired multiple object tracking in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Margarita H Cabaral1, Elliott A Beaton, Joel Stoddard
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. tjsimon@ucdavis.edu.
Insights
Children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) struggle with tracking multiple dynamic objects when cognitive load increases. This suggests a specific deficit in spatiotemporal attention for individuals with 22q11.2DS.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) affects ~1:4,000 births with diverse symptoms.
- Known cognitive issues include spatiotemporal and visuospatial attention deficits.
- Selective attention to dynamic, interacting objects remains understudied in 22q11.2DS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate selective attention capacity and resolution in children with 22q11.2DS.
- To compare performance on a dynamic multiple object tracking task between children with 22q11.2DS and typically developing peers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multiple object tracking task.
- Assessed children aged 7-14 years with 22q11.2DS and age-matched typically developing controls.
- Manipulated task demands by varying target number and object speed.
Main Results:
- Children with 22q11.2DS showed impaired performance with increased target numbers, unlike controls.
- Performance deficits were not linked to object speed.
- Task performance was independent of IQ and ADHD measures in the 22q11.2DS group.
Conclusions:
- Children with 22q11.2DS exhibit susceptibility to dynamic object crowding under increased cognitive load.
- Findings indicate reduced acuity in spatiotemporal cognitive representation for multiple target monitoring.
- This specific attention deficit may contribute to broader cognitive challenges in 22q11.2DS.
Background:
Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) occurs in approximately 1:4,000 live births with a complex and variable presentation that includes medical, socioemotional and psychological symptoms with intellectual impairment. Cognitive impairments in spatiotemporal and visuospatial attention have also been reported. However, maintenance of selective attention to dynamic and interacting objects has not been systematically investigated in children with 22q11.2DS.
Methods:
We used a multiple object tracking task to assay capacity and resolution performance of children with 22q11.2DS aged 7 to 14 years versus age-matched typically developing (TD) peers.
Results:
Children with 22q11.2DS but not TD children demonstrated impaired performance when task demands increased due to an increase in the number of targets presented, but not from an increase in object speed. Task performance in children with 22q11.2DS was also unrelated to intelligence or measures of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that children with 22q11.2DS may be particularly susceptible to dynamic crowding of objects with increasing cognitive demands related to monitoring multiple targets reflecting a reduced acuity in spatiotemporal cognitive representation.
