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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Cognitive and behavioral aspects of executive functions in children born very preterm

Barbara Catherine Ritter1, Walter Perrig, Maja Steinlin

  • 1a Children's University Hospital, Division of Neuropaediatrics, Development and Rehabilitation , Bern , Switzerland.

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|March 6, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children born very preterm (VPT) or with very low birth weight (VLBW) showed cognitive deficits in shifting but not inhibition or working memory. Behavioral measures indicated everyday working memory challenges, highlighting the need for combined assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Children born very preterm (VPT) and/or very low birth weight (VLBW) may experience executive function (EF) challenges.
  • Executive functions encompass inhibition, working memory, and shifting, crucial for daily functioning.
  • Understanding sex differences in EF for VPT/VLBW children is important.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare cognitive and behavioral executive functions in VPT/VLBW children versus term-born controls.
  • To investigate potential sex differences in executive function performance.
  • To determine the congruence between cognitive and behavioral EF measures.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty-two VPT/VLBW children and 36 term-born controls (aged 8-12 years) participated.
  • Cognitive EF was assessed using inhibition, working memory, and shifting tasks.
  • Behavioral EF was evaluated through maternal reports on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF).

Main Results:

  • VPT/VLBW children performed significantly lower on cognitive shifting tasks compared to controls.
  • Mothers reported more behavioral working memory problems in VPT/VLBW children.
  • No significant sex differences were found in cognitive or behavioral EF measures.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive and behavioral assessments of executive functions are not always congruent in VPT/VLBW children.
  • VPT/VLBW children may exhibit specific difficulties in cognitive shifting and everyday working memory.
  • Combined cognitive and behavioral instruments are essential for comprehensive identification of executive difficulties in clinical practice.

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