Triagem infantil neuropsicológica computadorizada para indicação do TDAH em crianças e adolescentes / Neuropsychological computerized screening to ADHD indication in children and adolescents

Objetivo: Verificar a sensibilidade da TINC - Triagem Infantil Neuropsicológica Computadorizada na seleção de suspeitos de Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH) por meio de análise estatística comparativa do desempenho de crianças e adolescentes com TDAH e controles devidamente matriculados no sistema público e particular de Curitiba-PR e região metropolitana. Método: Grupo clínico composto por 38 participantes (20 do sexo masculino e 18 do sexo feminino) com diagnóstico médico de TDAH sem comorbidades e grupo controle formado por 170 sujeitos (67 do sexo masculino e 103 do sexo feminino) sem histórico de comprometimento neurológico submetidos à TINC – Triagem Infantil Neuropsicológica Computadorizada. Resultados: O grupo TDAH obteve resultados inferiores no total geral da TINC e em 8 dos 10 subtestes avaliados (Organização Acústico-Motora, Habilidade Tátil-Cinestésica, Habilidade Visual, Linguagem Oral Expressiva, Escrita, Leitura, Raciocínio Matemático e Memória Imediata). Além disso, o grupo TDAH também necessitou de mais tempo para realizar o teste. Conclusão: A TINC permitiu discriminar crianças e adolescentes suspeitos de TDAH.

Objective: Check the sensibility of TINC – Neuropsychological Computadorized Screening for Children in selection of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suspects by comparative statistical analysis among children and adolescents with ADHD and controls from Curitiba-PR and metropolitan area. Methods: Clinical group of 38 participants (20 males and 18 females) with a diagnosis of ADHD without comorbidities and control group of 170 subjects (67 males and 103 females) with no history of neurological impairment underwent to TINC - Children´s Neuropsychological Screening Computed.TINC - Children´s Neuropsychological Screening Computed. Results: The ADHD group had poor results in the total score of TINC and in 8 of the 10 analyzed subtests (Organization Acoustic-Motor, Tactile-Kinesthetic Ability, Visual Skills, Oral Expressive Language, Writing, Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Immediate Memory). Furthermore, ADHD group also required more time to perform the test. Conclusion: TINC discriminate children and adolescents suspected ADHD.

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test: normative data for the Brazilian population and analysis of the influence of demographic variables

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is an efficient neuropsychological instrument for testing episodic declarative memory. Performance on this test can be influenced by demographic and cultural variables. The objective of the present study was to analyze the influence of demographics variables, such as age, gender, and education, on RAVLT performance in young and elderly adults. A Portuguese version of the RAVLT was administered to 302 healthy participants. Subjects were from both genders, ranging in age from 17 to 85 years (mean 50.6 ± 15.9 years) and in education from 1 to 20 years (mean 11.3 ± 3.7 years). Participants were grouped by age: 17-34 years old, 34-49 years old, 50-64 years old, and 65-85 years old. Pearson's Correlation analysis showed a significant association between RAVLT performance and both age and education (p < .001), but not between RAVLT performance and gender. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant effects of age on all RAVLT measurements and significant effects of years of education on all measurements, with the exception of recognition. The present data indicate that participant age and education significantly influence performance on the RAVLT.

Effects of age and education level on the Trail Making Test in a healthy brazilian sample

The Trail Making Test (TMT) has been a useful tool for neuropsychological assessment. The present study analyzed the influence of age and education level on TMT performance in healthy adult Portuguese speakers. The criteria for exclusion were a history of neurological disease, psychiatric illness, substance abuse, learning disabilities, or any other difficulty that may interfere with testing. The sample (n = 318) was divided into four age groups: (i) very young (n = 92; 18-34 years old), (ii) young (n = 66; 35-49 years old), (iii) middle-age (n = 117; 50-64 years old), and (iv) elderly (n = 43; 65-81 years old). The sample was also divided into three education levels: (i) low (2-8 years), (ii) middle (9-11 years), and (iii) high (> 12 years). Correlations among the demographic variables and scores on Trails A and B showed that age and education level were the two variables that most affected TMT scores (p < 0.001, analysis of covariance). Post hoc analyses of age did not reveal significant differences between the middle-age and elderly groups in TMT-A performance or between middle and high education level in TMT-A or TMT-B performance. These results are consistent with previous studies and demonstrate that age and education level affect the performance of Brazilian subjects on the TMT.

Performance of university students on random number generation at different rates to evaluate executive functions

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o desempenho de sujeitos adultos na Geração Aleatória de Números (RNG), em função da velocidade da resposta (VR). MÉTODO: Participaram do experimento 69 universitários, de ambos os sexos. A média de idade dos participantes foi 25,05±6,71 anos. Os participantes foram divididos aleatoriamente em 3 grupos que diferiram quanto à VR para gerar cada número; 1, 2 e 4 segundos. As respostas foram avaliadas através do índice RNG de Evans. RESULTADOS: A análise dos resultados evidenciou diferença estatisticamente significante entre os 3 grupos [F (3, 68) = 7,120; p < 0,05], com diferenças entre as VR de 1 e 2 segundos (p = 0,004) e de 1 e 4 segundos (p = 0,006). Não foram observadas diferenças entre as VR de 2 e 4 segundos (p = 0,985). CONCLUSAO: Os resultados mostraram que a velocidade da resposta na produção dos números aleatórios influencia o desempenho da tarefa de Geração Aleatória de Números.