The Development and Validation of Memory Tasks Using Smart Devices for School Aged Children

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop auditory-verbal and visual-spatial memory tasks using smart devices for children aged 8 to 10 years and examine their validity. METHODS: One-hundred and fourteen school-aged children were recruited through internet advertising. We developed memory tasks assessing auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, and working memory, and then examined their construct validity by examining the developmental trend of the children's mean scores with age. In order to examine the concurrent validity of the tasks, we conducted correlation analyses between the children's scores on the newly developed auditory-verbal, visual-spatial memory and working memory tasks and their scores on well-known standardized tests of memory and working memory, including the auditory-verbal memory subtests of the Korean Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children, Korean Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, digit span and arithmetic subtest of Korean Educational Development Institute Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised, and Corsi block test. RESULTS: The memory and working memory scores measured by the newly developed tasks tended to increase with age. Further, there were significant correlations between the scores of the four cognitive tasks and the corresponding scores of the standardized assessment tools. CONCLUSION: This study revealed promising evidence for the validity of the memory tasks using smart devices, suggesting their utility for school-aged children in research and clinical settings.

La memoria audioverbal en adultos mayores con deterioro cognitivo leve y un grupo control / Auditory verbal memory in elderly people with Mild Cognitive Impairment MCI and a control group

El Deterior Cognitivo Leve (DCL) se caracteriza por una queja subjetiva de pérdida de memoria, déficit de memoria objetivado mediante test cognitivos, cognición general normal, actividades de la vida diaria conservadas y ausencia de criterios diagnósticos de demencia. Su prevalencia es de 9.7% en personas mayores de 50 años y en la población colombiana existen pocos estudios. El objetivo fue describir la memoria audioverbal, en un grupo de 10 adultos mayores con DCL en comparación a un grupo control. Para la evaluación se utilizó la escala del NEUROPSI atención y memoria. Los resultados indican cambios estadísticamente significativos (p≤0.05) en las medias de la memoria audioverbal, el porcentaje de la curva de aprendizaje, recobro espontáneo, por claves y en el reconocimiento. Mostrando que los adultos mayores con DCL presentan dificultades en la fase de registro de información, afectando a su vez los procesos de almacenamiento y evocación, con incremento de intrusiones.

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is characterized by a subjective complaint of memory loss, memory deficit by cognitive tests, normal general cognition, preserved daily life activities, lack of diagnostic criteria for dementia, The prevalence is 9.7% in people over 50 years, and there are few studies in our population. The objective of this study was to describe auditory verbal memory in a group of ten elderly people with MCI compared to a control group. The NEUROPSI attention and memory scale was used. Results indicate statistically significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) in audio verbal memory, the learning curve rate, spontaneous recovery, cued recall and recognition. The elderly people’s group with MCI shows difficulty in the phase of information processing that affects the storage and recall process, with increased intrusions.

Increased precuneus connectivity during propofol sedation.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in human participants, we show that sedation by propofol to the point of lost overt responsiveness during the performance of an auditory verbal memory task unexpectedly increases functional connectivity of the precuneus with cortical regions, particularly the dorsal prefrontal and visual cortices. After recovery of consciousness, functional connectivity returns to a pattern similar to that observed during the wakeful baseline. In the context of a recent proposal that highlights the uncoupling of consciousness, connectedness, and responsiveness in general anesthesia, the increased precuneus functional connectivity under propofol sedation may reflect disconnected endogenous mentation or dreaming that continues at a reduced level of metabolic activity.

Research for Difference between Neurodegenerative and Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment with Neuropsychological Assessment / 中国临床心理学杂志

Objective: To analyze neuropsychological test identification of neurodegenerative (NMCI) and vascular (VMCI) subtypes of mild cognitive impairment. Methods: 94 normal elderly, 107 NMCI and 32 VMCI were evaluated by neuropsychological tests, such as mini mental state examination(MMSE), auditory verbal memory test (AVMT), Rey-Osterrich complex figure test (CFT), trailmaking test (TMT), Stroop Color Words Test (CWT), Verbal fluency test (VFT) and Clock Drawing Test (CDT). MMSE total score of 3 groups were 28.1?1.6, 26.9?1.8 and 26.2?1.7 , respectively. Results: There are similar global severity between NMCI and VMCI groups. VMCI group performed better than NMCI group in verbal delay memory rather than verbal short memory, or figure memory. Stroop interference effect and TMT interference effect of VMCI group were more powerful significantly than that of NMCI. VMCI group also generated fewer figure copy score on CFT. But there wasn't difference on VFT and CDT. Conclusion: These results suggest that decline in executive function is associated with cerebral vascular factors, and decline in episodic memory (such as verbal delay memory) is associated with neurodegenerative factors.