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An evaluation of computerized attention and executive function measures for use with school age children with

Sara K Pardej1, Christina L Casnar2, Brianna D Yund3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|January 12, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) show attention and executive function deficits on computerized tests. The NIH Flanker and Cogstate Identification tasks were most sensitive to these challenges in NF1.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder associated with cognitive impairments.
  • Attention and executive functions are frequently affected in children with NF1.
  • Computerized assessments offer objective measures of cognitive performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the performance of children with NF1 on computerized attention and executive function tasks.
  • To examine the relationship between cognitive performance and ADHD symptomatology in NF1.
  • To identify which computerized measures are most sensitive to cognitive deficits in NF1.

Main Methods:

  • 37 children (ages 9-13) with NF1 completed NIH Toolbox (Dimensional Change Card Sort, List Sort Working Memory, Flanker) and Cogstate (Identification, One Back) tasks.
  • ADHD symptomatology was assessed using the K-SADS.
  • Performance was compared to normative data and analyzed for relations with ADHD symptoms.

Main Results:

  • Children with NF1 performed significantly below the normative mean on most measures, except List Sort Working Memory.
  • The NIH Toolbox Flanker and Cogstate Identification tasks identified the most participants with mild to severe difficulties.
  • Significant correlations were found between ADHD symptomatology and performance on two NIH Toolbox tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Computerized assessments provide valuable, yet varied, insights into attention and executive function in children with NF1.
  • The NIH Toolbox Flanker task demonstrates potential for clinical trials due to its sensitivity and face validity.
  • List Sort Working Memory shows strong associations with behavioral indicators of attention and executive challenges in this population.

Keywords:
NF1Neurofibromatosis type 1attentioncomputerized assessmentexecutive function

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