Impact of Urban Nature on Executive Functioning in Early and Middle Childhood

According to attention restoration theory, directed attention can become fatigued and then be restored by spending time in a restorative environment. This study examined the restorative effects of nature on children’s executive functioning. Seven- to 8-year-olds (school aged, n = 34) and 4- to 5-year-olds (preschool, n = 33) participated in two sessions in which they completed an activity to fatigue attention, then walked along urban streets (urban walk) in one session and in a park-like area (nature walk) in another session, and finally completed assessments of working memory, inhibitory control, and attention. Children responded faster on the attention task after a nature walk than an urban walk. School-aged children performed significantly better on the attention task than preschoolers following the nature walk, but not urban walk. Walk type did not affect inhibitory control or verbal working memory. However, preschoolers’ spatial working memory remained more stable following the nature walk than the urban walk.

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The INECO Frontal Screening tool differentiates behavioral variant - frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD) from major depression

Dementia & Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1590/s1980-57642013dn70100006 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 33-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Natalia Fiorentino ◽

Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht ◽

María Roca ◽

Marcelo Cetkovich ◽

Facundo Manes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Major Depression ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Unipolar Depression ◽

Executive Dysfunction ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Control Group ◽

Clinical Conditions

ABSTRACT Executive dysfunction may result from prefrontal circuitry involvement occurring in both neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Moreover, multiple neuropsychiatric conditions, may present with overlapping behavioral and cognitive symptoms, making differential diagnosis challenging, especially during earlier stages. In this sense, cognitive assessment may contribute to the differential diagnosis by providing an objective and quantifiable set of measures that has the potential to distinguish clinical conditions otherwise perceived in everyday clinical settings as quite similar. Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the utility of the INECO Frontal Screening (IFS) for differentiating bv-FTD patients from patients with Major Depression. Methods: We studied 49 patients with bv-FTD diagnosis and 30 patients diagnosed with unipolar depression compared to a control group of 26 healthy controls using the INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R). Results: Patient groups differed significantly on the motor inhibitory control (U=437.0, p<0.01), verbal working memory (U=298.0, p<0.001), spatial working memory (U=300.5, p<0.001), proverbs (U=341.5, p<0.001) and verbal inhibitory control (U=316.0, p<0.001) subtests, with bv-FTD patients scoring significantly lower than patients with depression. Conclusion: Our results suggest the IFS can be considered a useful tool for detecting executive dysfunction in both depression and bv-FTD patients and, perhaps more importantly, that it has the potential to help differentiate these two conditions.

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Inhibitory Control in Verbal Working Memory Across the Lifespan

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e512682013-387 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Christelle Robert ◽

Delphine Fagot ◽

Thierry Lecerf ◽

Anik de Ribaupierre

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Verbal Working Memory

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Shared Predictors of Academic Achievement in Children with ADHD: A Multi-Sample Study

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/10870547211012039 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108705472110120

Author(s):

Kelly D. Carrasco ◽

Chi-Ching Chuang ◽

Gail Tripp

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Working Memory ◽

Word Reading ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

The United States ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Visual Spatial Working Memory ◽

Predictors Of Academic Achievement

Objective: To identify common and shared predictors of academic achievement across samples of children with ADHD. Method: Two clinically referred samples from New Zealand (1 n = 88, 82% boys; 2 n = 121, 79% boys) and two community samples from the United States (3 n = 111, 65% boys; 4 n = 114, 69% boys), completed similar diagnostic, cognitive and academic assessments. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified significant predictors of word reading, spelling, and math computation performance in each sample. Results: Entered after IQ, semantic language, age at testing, and verbal working memory emerged as consistent predictors of achievement across academic subjects and samples. Visual-spatial working memory contributed to variance in math performance only. Symptom severity explained limited variance. Conclusions: We recommend evaluations of children with ADHD incorporate assessments of working memory and language skills. Classroom/academic interventions should accommodate reduced working memory and address any identified language weaknesses.

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Dissociable Mechanisms of Verbal Working Memory Revealed through Multivariate Lesion Mapping

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz259 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 2542-2554 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maryam Ghaleh ◽

Elizabeth H Lacey ◽

Mackenzie E Fama ◽

Zainab Anbari ◽

Andrew T DeMarco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Task Demands ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Verbal Information ◽

Task Conditions

Abstract Two maintenance mechanisms with separate neural systems have been suggested for verbal working memory: articulatory-rehearsal and non-articulatory maintenance. Although lesion data would be key to understanding the essential neural substrates of these systems, there is little evidence from lesion studies that the two proposed mechanisms crucially rely on different neuroanatomical substrates. We examined 39 healthy adults and 71 individuals with chronic left-hemisphere stroke to determine if verbal working memory tasks with varying demands would rely on dissociable brain structures. Multivariate lesion–symptom mapping was used to identify the brain regions involved in each task, controlling for spatial working memory scores. Maintenance of verbal information relied on distinct brain regions depending on task demands: sensorimotor cortex under higher demands and superior temporal gyrus (STG) under lower demands. Inferior parietal cortex and posterior STG were involved under both low and high demands. These results suggest that maintenance of auditory information preferentially relies on auditory-phonological storage in the STG via a nonarticulatory maintenance when demands are low. Under higher demands, sensorimotor regions are crucial for the articulatory rehearsal process, which reduces the reliance on STG for maintenance. Lesions to either of these regions impair maintenance of verbal information preferentially under the appropriate task conditions.

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Testing Conclusions From Functional Imaging of Working Memory with Data From Acute Stroke

Behavioural Neurology ◽

10.1155/2007/396946 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 37-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Lisa E. Philipose ◽

Hannah Alphs ◽

Vivek Prabhakaran ◽

Argye E. Hillis

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Functional Imaging ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Imaging Results ◽

Cortical Stroke ◽

The Right

Functional imaging studies indicate that the left hemisphere mediates verbal working memory, while the right hemisphere mediates both verbal and spatial working memory. We evaluated acute stroke patients with working memory tests and imaging to identify whether unilateral dysfunction causes deficits in spatial and/or verbal working memory deficits. While left cortical stroke patients had verbal working memory impairments (p< 0.003), right cortical stroke patients had both verbal (p< 0.007) and spatial working memory (p< 0.03) impairments, confirming functional imaging results. Patients with transient ischemic stroke and patients with non-cortical stroke did not have significant deficits in working memory in either modality.

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Executive functioning as a predictive measure of offending behaviour

Journal of Criminal Psychology ◽

10.1108/jcp-07-2018-0032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 10-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karin A. Spenser ◽

Ray Bull ◽

Lucy Betts ◽

Belinda Winder

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Moral Reasoning ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Screening Tests ◽

Content Type ◽

Empathic Understanding ◽

The Impact

PurposeProsociality is considered important in the study of offenders and associated cognitive skills: theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning, are said to enable self-control and reduce the risk of offending behaviours. Previous research has made associations between these skills and executive functioning; however, research into a link between them, in an offending population, is limited. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachTo further understand the practicalities of this, the present study considered the predictive abilities of the constructs believed to underpin executive functioning: working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, in relation to theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning. In total, 200 male and female offenders completed measures in all six constructs.FindingsUsing path analysis working memory was demonstrated to be predictive of theory of mind and empathic understanding, cognitive flexibility was found to be predictive of theory of mind, and inhibitory control was found to be predictive of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focussed on offenders serving a custodial sentence of six months or less and did not differentiate between crime categories or take into consideration the socio-environmental backgrounds or ethnicity. Therefore, considering these things could further establish the generalisability of the current findings. It is noted that the more focussed the intervention is to the specific needs of an offender, the greater the impact will be. Therefore, pre-screening tests for the constructs discussed may be able to more accurately assess an offenders’ suitability for a programme, or indeed tailor it to meet the specific needs of that person.Practical implicationsThese findings may enable practitioners to more accurately assess offenders’ suitability for interventions aimed at reducing offending behaviours by improving levels of prosociality and develop more focussed programmes to meet the specific needs of individual offenders to reduce re-offending.Social implicationsAs recommended in the study, a more tailored approach to offender rehabilitation may be a potential aid to reducing levels of recidivism.Originality/valueThe present study adds to the literature as it is the first to consider whether the constructs of executive functioning can predict levels of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning and so provide a more accurate method in assessing the cognitive abilities of offenders prior to participation in rehabilitative interventions.

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Social Skills Intervention Participation and Associated Improvements in Executive Function Performance

Autism Research and Treatment ◽

10.1155/2017/5843851 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shawn E. Christ ◽

Janine P. Stichter ◽

Karen V. O’Connor ◽

Kimberly Bodner ◽

Amanda J. Moffitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Social Competence ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Memory Task ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Mixing Costs ◽

Adolescents With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication. It has been postulated that such difficulties are related to disruptions in underlying cognitive processes such as executive function. The present study examined potential changes in executive function performance associated with participation in the Social Competence Intervention (SCI) program, a short-term intervention designed to improve social competence in adolescents with ASD. Laboratory behavioral performance measures were used to separately evaluate potential intervention-related changes in individual executive function component processes (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) in a sample of 22 adolescents with ASD both before and after intervention. For comparison purposes, a demographically matched sample of 14 individuals without ASD was assessed at identical time intervals. Intervention-related improvements were observed on the working memory task, with gains evident in spatial working memory and, to a slightly lesser degree, verbal working memory. Significant improvements were also found for a working memory-related aspect of the task switching test (i.e., mixing costs). Taken together, these findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that participation in the SCI program is accompanied by changes in underlying neurocognitive processes such as working memory.

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Inhibitory control and spatial working memory: A saccadic eye movement study of negative symptoms in schizophrenia

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2007.02.004 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 157 (1-3) ◽

pp. 9-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Caroline Winograd-Gurvich ◽

Paul B. Fitzgerald ◽

Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis ◽

Lyn Millist ◽

Owen White

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Saccadic Eye Movement ◽

Movement Study

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Early Postimplant Speech Perception and Language Skills Predict Long-Term Language and Neurocognitive Outcomes Following Pediatric Cochlear Implantation

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2017_jslhr-h-16-0152 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (8) ◽

pp. 2321-2336 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Cynthia R. Hunter ◽

William G. Kronenberger ◽

Irina Castellanos ◽

David B. Pisoni

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Cochlear Implants ◽

Language Skills ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Open Set ◽

Neurocognitive Outcomes

PurposeWe sought to determine whether speech perception and language skills measured early after cochlear implantation in children who are deaf, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language skills, predict long-term speech perception, language, and neurocognitive outcomes.MethodThirty-six long-term users of cochlear implants, implanted at an average age of 3.4 years, completed measures of speech perception, language, and executive functioning an average of 14.4 years postimplantation. Speech perception and language skills measured in the 1st and 2nd years postimplantation and open-set word recognition measured in the 3rd and 4th years postimplantation were obtained from a research database in order to assess predictive relations with long-term outcomes.ResultsSpeech perception and language skills at 6 and 18 months postimplantation were correlated with long-term outcomes for language, verbal working memory, and parent-reported executive functioning. Open-set word recognition was correlated with early speech perception and language skills and long-term speech perception and language outcomes. Hierarchical regressions showed that early speech perception and language skills at 6 months postimplantation and growth in these skills from 6 to 18 months both accounted for substantial variance in long-term outcomes for language and verbal working memory that was not explained by conventional demographic and hearing factors.ConclusionSpeech perception and language skills measured very early postimplantation, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language, may be clinically relevant markers of long-term language and neurocognitive outcomes in users of cochlear implants.Supplemental materialshttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5216200

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Visuospatial bootstrapping: Binding useful visuospatial information during verbal working memory encoding does not require set-shifting executive resources

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/1747021818772518 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 (4) ◽

pp. 913-921 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Clara Calia ◽

Stephen Darling ◽

Jelena Havelka ◽

Richard J Allen

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Control Process ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Executive Processes ◽

Immediate Serial Recall ◽

Task Load ◽

Single Location ◽

Visuospatial Information

Immediate serial recall of digits is better when the digits are shown by highlighting them in a familiar array, such as a phone keypad, compared with presenting them serially in a single location, a pattern referred to as “visuospatial bootstrapping.” This pattern implies the establishment of temporary links between verbal and spatial working memory, alongside access to information in long-term memory. However, the role of working memory control processes like those implied by the “Central Executive” in bootstrapping has not been directly investigated. Here, we report a study addressing this issue, focusing on executive processes of attentional shifting. Tasks in which information has to be sequenced are thought to be heavily dependent on shifting. Memory for digits presented in keypads versus single locations was assessed under two secondary task load conditions, one with and one without a sequencing requirement, and hence differing in the degree to which they invoke shifting. Results provided clear evidence that multimodal binding (visuospatial bootstrapping) can operate independently of this form of executive control process.

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