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A Metric Test for Assessing Spatial Working Memory in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: May 7, 2021
[Formula: see text]Working memory outcomes following traumatic brain injury in children: A systematic review with
Natalie Lynette Phillips1,2, Louise Parry3,4, Anna Mandalis4
1a School of Psychology , The University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
Insights
Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) impairs multicomponent working memory (WM), particularly the central executive and phonological loop. Deficits in these areas are linked to poorer mathematical skills, highlighting TBI
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to cognitive impairments.
- Working memory (WM) is a complex cognitive system crucial for daily functioning.
- Understanding WM deficits in pediatric TBI is vital for effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the literature on multicomponent working memory in pediatric TBI.
- To identify which components of working memory are most affected by TBI in children.
- To explore the relationship between TBI severity, brain activation, and WM deficits.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and EMBASE databases.
- Inclusion of studies using quantitative methods to assess WM components in children with TBI.
- Meta-analytic procedures to calculate pooled effect sizes for WM outcomes.
Main Results:
- Children with TBI showed significant deficits in the central executive (CE) and phonological loop (PL).
- No significant deficits were found in the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP), though it was rarely studied.
- Greater TBI severity correlated with poorer CE functioning; fMRI studies showed altered brain activation patterns.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric TBI places children at risk for working memory deficits.
- Specific WM components (CE, PL) are differentially vulnerable to TBI.
- Future research should assess all WM components and their functional impact, including academic outcomes.
Abstract:
The aim of this review is to systematically examine the literature concerning multicomponent working memory (WM)-comprising a central executive (CE), two storage components (phonological loop, PL and visuo-spatial sketchpad, VSSP), and episodic buffer (EB)-in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Electronic searches were conducted of MEDLINE, PsychINFO and EMBASE up to October 2014 with the inclusion criteria of children and adolescents with TBI, and quantitative methods to assess at least one component of WM. Meta-analytic procedures calculated pooled effect sizes for WM outcomes. Of the studies examined, 27 met the inclusion criteria. Children with TBI exhibited deficits in the CE and PL, but not in the VSSP, and no study could be found which examined the EB. Qualitative analysis found that greater TBI severity was associated with poorer CE functioning in five out of nine studies. Differences in patterns of brain activation were evident in four out of five fMRI studies that examined WM in TBI children and controls. Deficits in CE were associated with poorer mathematical skills in the only study that examined relations between WM and academic deficits. Notwithstanding the heterogeneity of the studies reviewed, TBI places children at risk of WM deficits. Moreover, this meta-analysis suggests that various components of WM have differential vulnerability to pediatric TBI, with significant deficits found in the CE and PL, but not in the VSSP (although the VSSP has rarely been examined to date). Future studies should be theoretically driven, employ tasks assessing all components of the WM model and examine the functional ramifications (including academic outcomes) of WM deficits in this population.
