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Topographical Working Memory in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Åsa Bartonek1, Laura Piccardi2, Cecilia Guariglia2

  • 1Neuropediatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden.

Journal of Motor Behavior
|April 14, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) showed differences in working memory tasks. Mobility impacts topographic working memory, suggesting active participation can enhance spatial skills.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

  • Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor skills and can impact cognitive functions, including spatial working memory.
  • Understanding cognitive differences in children with CP is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
  • Previous research has explored cognitive deficits in CP, but the role of mobility in spatial working memory requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare topographic working memory and visuo-spatial abilities between children with cerebral palsy (CP) and typically developing (TD) children.
  • To investigate the association between Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels and performance on different working memory tasks.
  • To explore how the requirement of bodily movement in a task influences cognitive strategy use in children with CP.

Main Methods:

  • Forty children with CP (categorized by GMFCS levels) and 120 TD children completed two tests: a topographic working memory test (WalCT) involving body movement and a visuo-spatial test (CBT) with reaching movements only.
  • Performance was assessed by scores on the WalCT and CBT.
  • Statistical analyses were used to compare scores between groups and across GMFCS levels.

Main Results:

  • Children with CP in GMFCS levels II/III performed significantly better on the topographic working memory (WalCT) test compared to TD children.
  • Children with CP in GMFCS level I performed lower on the visuo-spatial test (CBT) than those in GMFCS levels III/IV, and all CP groups scored lower than TD children.
  • Similar WalCT performance between GMFCS I and TD, and between GMFCS II and III/IV, suggests a strong link between mobility and topographic working memory.

Conclusions:

  • Mobility is significantly associated with topographic working memory performance in children with CP.
  • The absence of bodily movement in the CBT task may allow children with CP to employ different cognitive strategies.
  • Interventions should focus on providing children with CP opportunities for active participation to improve spatial awareness and navigational skills.

Keywords:
environmental representationmotor disordernavigationspatial orientation

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