Reading Skill Profiles in School-Aged Italian-Speaking Children: A Latent Profile Analysis Investigation into the Interplay of Decoding, Comprehension and Attentional Control.

Our study examined the complex relationships among reading performance (decoding, comprehension) and language, visuo-spatial, and attentional control abilities in 115 Italian-speaking children. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct clusters of participants showcasing quantitative differences in decoding skills, including word, pseudo-word, text reading speed and accuracy. Then, we used this classification to investigate group differences in a variety of linguistic, working memory, and visuo-spatial tasks, as well as in reading comprehension skills, by means of multivariate and univariate tests. Our results reveal significant links between reading proficiency and several key factors: language skills, visuo-spatial abilities, and attentional control. These findings illuminate the nuanced impact of domain-general processes that govern a series of linguistic and visuo-perceptive subcomponents during reading tasks. Additionally, using dominance analysis, predictors of written text comprehension were identified. Our findings suggest that effective reading comprehension relies on a synergistic interplay of adequate reading speed, attentional control, working memory, and verbal fluency, accounting for 23% of the explained variance. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of reading proficiency and suggests that a broader perspective is necessary to fully understand reading development and support its improvement.

Global slowness and increased intra-individual variability are key features of attentional deficits and cognitive fluctuations in post COVID-19 patients.

Fatigue, attentional deficits and cognitive fluctuations are the most characterizing symptoms of neurological involvement in Post COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). As the intraindividual variability (IIV) in cognitive performances has been recognized as a hallmark of brain-related disorders associated with cognitive deficits, it could be an interesting measure to elucidate the mechanisms subtending both the attentive impairment and the cognitive fluctuations in these patients. By referring to IIV analysis of Reaction Times (RTs), the present study aims to define the attentive impairment and its relation to fluctuations and fatigue, in patients suffering from Post COVID-19 neurological symptoms. 74 patients were enrolled. They underwent an extensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments, as well as computerized Sustained Attention and Stroop tasks. For studying IIV, RTs distributions of performances in computerized tasks were fitted with ex-Gaussian distribution, for obtaining the τ values. Finally, the Resting Motor Threshold (RMT) was also collected to estimate cortical excitability. 29 healthy volunteers served as controls. Patients showed poorer scores in Montreal Cognitive Assessment and higher RMT, in comparison with controls. In Sustained Attention Task, Mean, µ, σ and τ values were significantly higher in PCS patients (p value = < 0.0001; 0.001; 0.018 and < 0.0001, respectively). Repeated measures ANOVA comparing the RTs mean in Stroop task within-subject and between-subjects revealed significant condition and group effect (p < 0.0001 both) and significant interaction (p = 0.005), indicating worst performances in patients. The mean of the derived interference value was significantly higher in PCS patients than in controls (p = 0.036). Patients suffering from PCS show deficits in attention, both in the sustained and executive components. Both high RTs means and high IIV subtend these deficits and could explain the often-complained cognitive fluctuations in this population.

Effects of Cognitive Training Programs on Executive Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder is often associated with deficits in executive functions (EFs), which is contributing significantly to individuals with ASD's difficulties in conducting an independent life, particularly considering social skills. Technologies offer promising opportunities to structure EF intervention programs for children on the autistic spectrum. METHODS: This study aimed to review the effectiveness of randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies of EF interventions delivered to children and young people (up to 23 years old) with a diagnosis of ASD. A special focus was dedicated to document the effectiveness of computerized and non-computerized cognitive training on (1) EFs and on (2) ASD symptomatology and social skills. Of 2601 studies retrieved, 19 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Most of the interventions identified were effective in enhancing EFs and reducing symptoms in children and young people with ASD. Limited evidence is available on their generalization to untrained skills (i.e., social abilities) as well as long-term effects. CONCLUSIONS: There is growing evidence for overall effectiveness of EF training, particularly when computerized. However, caution should be taken when interpreting these findings owing to methodological limitations, the minimal number of papers retrieved, and a small samples of included studies.

Principles of Integrated Cognitive Training for Executive Attention: Application to an Instrumental Skill.

One effective cognitive treatment is the rehabilitation of working memory (WM) using an integrated approach that targets the "executive attention" system. Recent neuroscientific literature has revealed that treatment efficacy depends on the presence of various features, such as adaptivity, empathy, customization, avoidance of automatism and stereotypies, and alertness activation. Over the last two decades, an Integrated Cognitive Training (ICT) protocol has been proposed and developed; ICT takes the above-mentioned features and existing literature into account, and has been used to promote the development of reading skills. ICT has been employed in several clinical settings and involves stimulation of a specific deteriorated system (e.g., reading) and the improvement of executive attention components, thus also increasing working memory capacity. In this context, we present two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants diagnosed with dyslexia (aged between 8 and 14 years) underwent two ICT sessions a week, with home supplements, for a duration of 7 months. The participants showed a significant improvement in the reading speed of text, words, and non-words, and in the reading accuracy of text and non-words. In Experiment 2, we replicated Experiment 1, but included a comparison between two groups (experimental group vs. control group) of young participants with diagnosis of dyslexia. The experimental group was subjected to 18 ICT sessions twice a week and with home supplements, using the same protocol as in Experiment 1. The control group was entrusted to the protocol of compensatory tools and dispense/helping procedures provided by the scholastic Personalized Educational Plan. After training, the experimental group gained about 0.5 syllables per second in text reading, and a marked decrease in error rate. The control group showed no significant improvement in reading skills after the same period. Moreover, the improvement observed in the experimental group remained stable 4 months after ICT had ended. The results of these two experiments support the efficacy of the integrated ICT protocol in improving reading skills in children with dyslexia and its sustained effect.

Time-frequency analyses of reaction times and theta/beta EEG ratio in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury: A preliminary study.

PURPOSE: The literature on patients with attention deficit reports peculiar reaction time (RT) oscillation at very low frequencies (VLFO=0.06-0.2 Hz). The data were explained as default mode network (DMN) intrusion in goal-oriented activity. The present study investigates whether a pattern of recurrent lapses in attention can be detected in TBI patients and whether VLFO can be generalized to the sustained attention deficit, regardless of etiology. METHODS: Groups of pediatric TBIs and healthy controls performed four attentional tasks. RT and theta/beta timeseries were subjected to wavelet analyses. RESULTS: Significant high-power VLFOs were recorded in patient group performances but not in those of controls, both for RTs and theta/beta in all the tasks. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that central-midline theta/beta ratio could be considered a neurophysiological correlate of RT variability and that the general continuous goal-oriented activity can be cross-etiologically affected by recurrent lapses in attention regardless of the specific cognitive component involved.

Neuropsychological profile in new-onset benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS): Focusing on executive functions.

PURPOSE: Increased evidence of subnormal neuropsychological functioning in new-onset childhood epilepsy has been obtained, although results are still rare and controversial. With a prospective study, we aimed to define the very early neuropsychological profile of children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), including executive functions (EF) because of their key role in learning. Additionally, we enrolled drug-naïve children, with a NREM sleep frequency of discharges <85% and with a Performance Intelligence Quotient equal or superior to 85, in order to exclude additional effects on the neuropsychological functioning. METHODS: Fifteen school-aged children with BECTS (mean age: 8.8years, standard deviation [SD]: 2.4years) and fifteen healthy children (mean age: 9.2years, [SD]: 2.5years) were enrolled and assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The assessment included domain-specific standardized tests of language, EF, academic skills, visuomotor and visuospatial skills, and short-term memory. A p-value<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Significant differences between patients and controls emerged with respect to 3 domains. Language was affected in color naming (p=.026), spoonerism (p=.003), and phonemic synthesis (p=.009). Executive functions appeared inadequate in the five point test with respect to the number of correct figures (p=.003) and errors (p=.008). In the domain of academic skills, significant differences between groups emerged regarding the number of mistakes in nonword writing (p=.001), nonword reading speed (p=.027), nonword reading number of mistakes (p=.019), and word reading errors (p=.023). DISCUSSION: Results showed that children with new-onset BECTS may demonstrate a range of neuropsychological dysfunctions, particularly affecting executive attention, despite a normal IQ, a low frequency of NREM sleep discharges, and the absence of drugs. These difficulties indicate a frontal dysfunction with cascading effects on language and academic skills. The inclusion of EF in the assessment battery and in the intervention since the very onset is warranted in order to avoid further and persistent academic difficulties.

FDG-PET in the Evaluation of Brain Metabolic Changes Induced by Cognitive Stimulation in aMCI Subjects.

Cognitive training has reported to improve cognitive performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) as well as in older healthy subjects. 18F-FDG-PET is widely used in the diagnoses of dementia for its ability to identify early metabolic changes. This study was aimed to assess the effect of cognitive stimulation on brain metabolic network and clinical cognitive performance. Thirty aMCI subjects were enrolled in the study and allocated in two groups matched for cognitive profile, sex and schooling and then randomly assigned to the training arm or to the placebo arm. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment and PET imaging before and after intervention. We found significant association between brain metabolism and cognitive stimulation in treated aMCI subjects. Brain metabolic changes included Brodmann areas reported to be involved in working memory and attentive processes as well as executive functions. Our study shows that metabolic changes occur earlier than possible clinical changes related to the intervention. 18F-FDG-PET could provide a useful biomarker of response to identify a population of aMCI suitable to respond to treatment, according to most recent data on default network mode and its adaptivity to external stimuli.

Nonspatial attentional shifts between audition and vision.

This study investigated nonspatial shifts of attention between visual and auditory modalities. The authors provide evidence that the modality of a stimulus (S1) affected the processing of a subsequent stimulus (S2) depending on whether they shared the same modality. For both vision and audition, the onset of S1 summoned attention exogenously to its modality, causing a delay in processing S2 in a different modality. That undermines the notion that auditory stimuli have a stronger and more automatic alerting effect than visual stimuli (M. I. Posner, M. J. Nissen, & R. M. Klein, 1976). The results are consistent with other recent studies showing cross-modal attentional limitation. The authors suggest that such cross-modal limitation can be produced by simply presenting S1 and S2 in different modalities and that central processing mechanisms are also, at least partially, modality dependent.