Developmental Trajectories of Attention in Normal Korean Population

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the trajectory of change of diverse attention and working memory in Koreans from 4 to 40 years of age. METHODS: The data of 912 subjects from 4 to 15 years of age obtained from a previous standardization study of the computerized comprehensive attention test were merged with the newly obtained data of 150 subjects aged 16 to 40 years from this study. We evaluated the various kinds of attention, in which each subtest had five indicators. Working memory, with parameters such as number of correct responses and span, was also measured. RESULTS: Our findings indicated that attention developed as age increased, and it decreased or was maintained after a certain age. Selective and sustained attention developed rapidly in children and adolescents, until mid-teens or 20 s when it ceased development. Divided attention, however, developed up to approximately age 20. In addition, working memory developed until mid-teens or 20 s. CONCLUSION: We presented the standardized data on diverse kinds of attention and working memory in children, adolescents, and adults in Korea. We could recognize any patterns of change in attention and working memory with increasing age.

Joint Attention Virtual Classroom: A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have suggested that a virtual classroom is immersive and ecologically valid neuropsychological assessment, but those studies have limited components for social attentions. Therefore, the objective in the current study is the development of a joint attention virtual reality (JA-VR) classroom to incorporate social attentions between a participant and a virtual avatar teacher. METHODS: Fifty-eight participants were recruited for current study (25 for pilot and 33 for main studies; 32.8% female, n=19; age: M=24.5, SD=4.0). We suggested a JA-VR classroom, and compared it with previous methods including a VR classroom without JA components. We conducted attention experiments with AX-version of continuous performance tasks. RESULTS: Our results suggest that the new JA-VR classroom had convergent validity with previous methods, and that the JA-VR classroom promoted attentional processing among participants better than both old VR and non-VR measures. CONCLUSION: We add an important social attention concept to the virtual classroom, and believe that this work is an methodological foundation for the study of social attention in school life. We hope it ultimately help people with mental handicaps in social attention.

Effects of Neurofeekback Training on EEG, Continuous Performance Task (CPT), and ADHD Symptoms in ADHD-prone College Students

PURPOSE: This study explored the effects of neurofeedback training on Electroencephalogram (EEG), Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and ADHD symptoms in ADHD prone college students. METHODS: Two hundred forty seven college students completed Korean Version of Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS-K) and Korean Version of Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI). The 16 participants who ranked in the top 25% of CAARS-K score and had 16 less of K-BDI score participated in this study. Among them, 8 participants who are fit for the research schedule were assigned to neurofeedback training group and 8 not fit for the research schedule to the control group. All participants completed Adult Attention Deficiency Questionnaire, CPT and EEG measurement at pretest. The neurofeedback group received 15 neurofeedback training sessions (5 weeks, 3 sessions per week). The control group did not receive any treatment. Four weeks after completion of the program, all participants completed CAARS-K, Adult Attention Deficiency Questionnaire, CPT and EEG measurement for post-test. RESULTS: The neurofeedback group showed more significant improvement in EEG, CPT performance and ADHD symptoms than the control group. The improvements were maintained at follow up. CONCLUSION: Neurofeedback training adjusted abnormal EEG and was effective in improving objective and subjective ADHD symptoms in ADHD prone college students.

Sustained Attention and Vigilance in Patients with Brain Injury / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To investigate the sustained attention and vigilance in patients with brain injury.Methods Twenty-seven patients with brain injury and 34 normal adults who were matched in age and years of education were tested with Continuous Performance Task(CPT) to assess sustained attention and vigilance.The variables included hit number(correct response number),omission number,commission number,and the average reaction time and the difference of reaction time between the first and the last stage.Results The hit number of the patients was much less than that of the control group(P<0.01).The omission number was significantly more than that in the control group(P<0.01),but the commission number did not significantly differ from the control group(P>0.05).The average reaction time and the difference between the reaction time of the first and last stages in patients increased significantly(P<0.01).Conclusion The sustained attention and vigilance are impaired in patients with brain injury.