Age-related change of saccadic reaction time in persons with intellectual disabilities

Children with intellectual disabilities experience deficits in all the areas of adaptive function and some other aspects, unfortunately little is known about the independent functioning among gender and age related to these impairments in this type of neurogenetic disorders as intellectual disabilities. Adaptive behavior is essential for an optimal functioning in these categories. 53 participants aged between 5 and 11 in school years have been administered the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA) and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (IQ). Motor abilities are the area that is more affected in children with intellectual disabilities with a significant impairment appeared at an early age, which remain low even in the following years. These differences are potentially oriented by the etiologies related to the disorder. Adaptive behavior is an important area of challenge for children with intellectual disabilities throughout their development. Daily living skills and competencies are also a significant strength in relation to other areas of adaptive functioning.

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Age-related changes in TMS-based gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) modulation during a unimanual simple and choice reaction time task.

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/conf.fnins.2019.96.00017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Koen Cuypers ◽

Melina Hehl ◽

Stephan Swinnen

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Choice Reaction Time ◽

Reaction Time Task ◽

Choice Reaction Time Task ◽

Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Time Task ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Changes

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Screening of Cognitive Changes in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

10.20944/preprints202009.0739.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andreia F. Paiva ◽

Adam Nolan ◽

Charlotte Thumser ◽

Flavia H. Santos

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Best Practice ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Total Sample ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related ◽

Adults With Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Practice Methods

Abstract: Background and Aims: Screening and assessment of cognitive changes in adults with Intellectual Disabilities, mainly Down Syndrome (DS), is crucial to offer appropriate services to their needs. We present a systematic review of the existing instruments assessing dementia, aiming to support researchers and clinicians’ best practice. Methods: Searches were carried out in the databases Web of Science; PubMed; PsycINFO in March 2019 and updated in May 2020. Studies were selected and examined if they: (1) focused on assessing age-related cognitive changes in person with ID; (2) included adults and/or older adults; (3) included scales and batteries for cognitive assessment. Results: Forty-eight cross-sectional studies and twenty-six longitudinal studies were selected representing a total sample of 5,851 participants (4,089 DS and 1,801 with other ID). In those studies, we found 38 scales, questionnaires, and inventories, and 13 batteries for assessing cognitive and behavioural changes in adults with DS and other ID. Conclusion: The most used instrument completed by an informant or carer was the Dementia Questionnaire for Learning Disabilities (DLD), and its previous versions. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the instruments and outline recommendations for future use.

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Age-Related Structural and Functional Changes of the Hippocampus and the Relationship with Inhibitory Control

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10121013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1013

Author(s):

Sien Hu ◽

Chiang-shan R. Li

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Stop Signal ◽

Sequential Effect ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Age Related ◽

Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽

Age Related Changes

Aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus, and hippocampal dysfunction represents a risk marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, we demonstrated age-related changes in reactive and proactive control in the stop signal task, each quantified by the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) and sequential effect computed as the correlation between the estimated stop signal probability and go trial reaction time. Age was positively correlated with the SSRT, but not with the sequential effect. Here, we explored hippocampal gray matter volume (GMV) and activation to response inhibition and to p(Stop) in healthy adults 18 to 72 years of age. The results showed age-related reduction of right anterior hippocampal activation during stop success vs. go trials, and the hippocampal activities correlated negatively with the SSRT. In contrast, the right posterior hippocampus showed higher age-related responses to p(Stop), but the activities did not correlate with the sequential effect. Further, we observed diminished GMVs of the anterior and posterior hippocampus. However, the GMVs were not related to behavioral performance or regional activities. Together, these findings suggest that hippocampal GMVs and regional activities represent distinct neural markers of cognitive aging, and distinguish the roles of the anterior and posterior hippocampus in age-related changes in cognitive control.

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Factors Influencing Saccadic Reaction Time: Effect of Task Modality, Stimulus Saliency, Spatial Congruency of Stimuli, and Pupil Size

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2020.571893 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Shimpei Yamagishi ◽

Shigeto Furukawa

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Locus Coeruleus ◽

Pupil Size ◽

Visual Target ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Saccadic Reaction Time ◽

Auditory Target ◽

Target Condition ◽

Related Factors ◽

Stimulus Saliency

It is often assumed that the reaction time of a saccade toward visual and/or auditory stimuli reflects the sensitivities of our oculomotor-orienting system to stimulus saliency. Endogenous factors, as well as stimulus-related factors, would also affect the saccadic reaction time (SRT). However, it was not clear how these factors interact and to what extent visual and auditory-targeting saccades are accounted for by common mechanisms. The present study examined the effect of, and the interaction between, stimulus saliency and audiovisual spatial congruency on the SRT for visual- and for auditory-target conditions. We also analyzed pre-target pupil size to examine the relationship between saccade preparation and pupil size. Pupil size is considered to reflect arousal states coupling with locus-coeruleus (LC) activity during a cognitive task. The main findings were that (1) the pattern of the examined effects on the SRT varied between visual- and auditory-auditory target conditions, (2) the effect of stimulus saliency was significant for the visual-target condition, but not significant for the auditory-target condition, (3) Pupil velocity, not absolute pupil size, was sensitive to task set (i.e., visual-targeting saccade vs. auditory-targeting saccade), and (4) there was a significant correlation between the pre-saccade absolute pupil size and the SRTs for the visual-target condition but not for the auditory-target condition. The discrepancy between target modalities for the effect of pupil velocity and between the absolute pupil size and pupil velocity for the correlation with SRT may imply that the pupil effect for the visual-target condition was caused by a modality-specific link between pupil size modulation and the SC rather than by the LC-NE (locus coeruleus-norepinephrine) system. These results support the idea that different threshold mechanisms in the SC may be involved in the initiation of saccades toward visual and auditory targets.

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