Executive Function Performance Research Articles

Moulding environmental contexts to optimise neurodiverse executive function performance and development: A goodness‐of‐fit account

AbstractExecutive functions (EFs) provide a top‐down response to stimuli and events in pursuit of a goal. We argue that the extent to which an individual's environment is enriching and a good fit for them influences whether their performance at that moment is towards their upper‐ or lower‐limit of EF ability. We outline the implications of this for interpreting measures of EF. We next argue that a child's sensitivity to the environment, and their caregivers' ability to modulate the environment to improve goodness‐of‐fit, influences the cumulative effects of the environment in shaping that child's actualised EF ability (the performance level shown in day‐to‐day situations), and thus their skill development. We therefore recommend that EF interventions be designed to improve children's actualised EF ability by improving their day‐to‐day environment, while simultaneously helping children modulate their physiological response to environmental challenges, and providing opportunities to practise EF skills in ecologically‐valid contexts.

Characteristics of Perioperative Cognitive and Affective Function in Patients with Somatotroph Adenoma

In the present study, we evaluate the characteristics of cognitive and affective function in patients with somatotroph adenomas (SAs) that secrete excess growth hormone and the effects of surgical intervention. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study, recruiting 27 patients with SAs, 29 patients with nonfunctional pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) as the lesion control group, and 24 healthy participants as the healthy controls (HCs). These three groups were matched for sex, age, and years of education. We performed multidimensional cognitive function and neuropsychological assessments 1-2 days before endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery and at 3 months postoperatively. The Mini-mental state examination, Montreal cognitive assessment, Frontal assessment battery, Trail making test, and Digit span test were used to assess multidimensional cognitive function, including general intelligence, frontal lobe function, executive function, and memory. The Hamilton anxiety scale, Beck depression inventory, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule scale were used for the neuropsychological assessment, including anxiety, depressed mood, and positive and negative emotions. Compared with the HCs, the patients with SAs showed poor performance in the memory (P= 0.009) and anxiety (P= 0.013) assessments. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between patients with SAs and NFPAs for either cognitive function or effective performance. Moreover, patients with SAs did not show significant changes in cognition and affective behavior after surgery. In contrast, patients with NFPAs displayed significant improvements in memory (P= 0.015), executive function (P < 0.001), and anxiety mood (P= 0.001) performance postoperatively. Patients with SAs showed specific cognitive deficits and abnormal moods, which might be attributed to the overproduction of growth hormone. However, surgical intervention had a limited effect on improving the impaired cognitive function and abnormal moods in patients with SAs at short-term follow-up.

A predictive coding approach to psychedelic virtual-induced hallucinations and creative cognition in aging.

Recent research has investigated the potential of psychedelic substances in treating various neurological and psychiatric disorders. In particular, there has been a growth in studies concerning the intersection of psychedelics, Virtual Reality (VR), and Cognitive Flexibility (CF). Indeed, the use of immersive technology allows the simulation of the perceptual and cognitive effects of psychedelic substances without the potential risks associated with them. CF is strongly associated with creative cognition, a complex cognitive mechanism involved in creative thinking and associated with the prefrontal cortex and the neural networks supporting executive functions, memory, attention, and spontaneous modes of thought. The Bayesian brain approach, which is rooted in predictive coding, has emerged as a promising framework for understanding the effects of psychedelic hallucinations on cognitive functioning. Psychedelic substances may enhance creativity by inducing a state of CF, allowing for a wider range of associations and possibilities to be explored and increasing openness to experience. A decline in cognitive abilities, including creative processing and divergent thinking, is observed during the aging process. In particular, studies on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) show poorer performance in executive functions, including CF. The present paper suggests that psychedelic hallucinations induced by VR may help optimize the balance between top-down expectations and bottom-up sensory information. Therefore, enhanced CF and creativity may be crucial during the aging process for maintaining cognitive functions and preventing pathological conditions.

Role of Education and Physical Activity in Executive Function Performance of Adult Population.

Executive function performance has been extensively studied in extreme age groups, but the middle age population, where a decline could begin, is still under investigation. The role of factors like education and physical activity that might influence cognitive performance is not well understood. The study aimed to examine the influence of age, education, and physical activity on executive function performance and the interaction effects between these factors on two subpopulations of adults, i.e., young adults and middle-aged adults. 92 adults, 46 young adults (N = 24.4 ± 2.7 years, 25 postgraduates and 21 PhDs) and 46 middle-aged adults (N = 48.08 ± 5.79 years, 28 postgraduates and 18 PhDs), were included. Each subject performed Delayed Matching of Sample (DMS), Spatial Working Memory (SWM), and Multitasking (MTT) test on CANTAB. Physical activity levels were reported through IPAQ. Results indicated age to have a major influence on DMS, SWM, and MTT performance; however, education was only found to influence SWM. MTT and SWM performance was found to be lower in middle-aged adults in comparison to young adults. On comparison of test scores between highly active and moderately active groups of middle-aged adults, no differences were found; however, in young adults, MTT correct scores (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the highly active group in comparison to their counterparts. Interaction between age and level of education revealed better retrieval in middle-aged adults with higher education in comparison to their counterparts. In comparison to younger counterparts, executive function performance deteriorated around the middle ages. Education was found to play a protective role in executive abilities slowing during middle age. Also, physical activity may play some role in executive function performance.

Stress Detection During Motor Activity: Comparing Neurophysiological Indices in Older Adults

The effects of cognitive stress are complex and multi-dimensional with nuanced neural and physiological representations across our lifespan. Chronic and instantaneous stressors are known to alter both executive function and motor performance --- a particularly challenging prospect for older adults. Age, sex, and motor activity are critical yet under-represented dimensions in the domain of stress detection. Through the present work, we explore a subset of these variables and the relevance of brain hemodynamics and heart rate variability (HR/V) as biomarkers of stress in an aging population. We rely on a multimodal, sex-balanced, motor-stress dataset (N = 59) and an exhaustive machine learning workflow to operationalize the unique neurophysiological states that form the human stress response. We found that a quadratic discriminant was sufficient to separate the two states across feature, demographic, and activity variables. We report a stress detection accuracy between 78-98% when using models trained independently on each feature-set. However, these models were highly sensitive to sex, and activity differences --- with distinct regions, and features implicated in stress recognition. Our observations underscore the importance of task-context, age, and sex as factors in modeling stress detection tools for older adults.

Predictive Validity &amp; Diagnostic Performance of the EFPT-E &amp; the PASS to Real-World Medication Adherence

Abstract Date Presented 04/22/2023 This poster explores the predictive validity and diagnostic performance of the Executive Function Performance Test-Enhanced (EFPT–E) and the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS) medication management subtests on real-world medication adherence at home. Primary Author and Speaker: Jaclyn K. Schwartz Additional Authors and Speakers: Katherine Aylmer, Samara Green

The Role of Executive Functions in Lexical Processing During Reading Comprehension

AbstractRobust relation has been revealed previously between the components of executive function (EF) and reading comprehension performance. However, the specific role of EF in the reading processes remains relatively underexplored. Within the framework of the lexical quality hypothesis (LQH), this study examined the contribution of EF to the lexical processing of words, and how this eventually supports reading comprehension. A total of 262 Grade 3 students in Hong Kong were assessed using multiple measures of EF, lexical processing skills (i.e. orthographic awareness, morphological awareness, and receptive vocabulary knowledge) and reading comprehension, respectively. Our findings indicate significant associations between EF and lexical processing skills, which, in turn, contributed to better reading comprehension. The results demonstrate how EF supports Chinese reading comprehension through the mediating effects of a reader's mental operation in obtaining meanings of individual words. The findings support to the notion that peripheral skills facilitate reading comprehension through more central skills.

Association Between Heart Rate Variability and Executive Function Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study in Adult Population

Association Between Heart Rate Variability and Executive Function Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study in Adult Population

The Role of Apathy in Spontaneous Verbal and Nonverbal Behaviors: A Transdiagnostic Pilot Study in Neurodegeneration.

Apathy, characterized by a quantifiable reduction in motivation or goal-directed behavior, is a multidimensional syndrome that has been observed across many neurodegenerative diseases. To develop a novel task measuring spontaneous action initiation (ie, a nonverbal equivalent to spontaneous speech tasks) and to investigate the association between apathy and executive functions such as the voluntary initiation of speech and actions and energization (ie, ability to initiate and sustain a response). We compared the energization and executive functioning performance of 10 individuals with neurodegenerative disease and clinically significant apathy with that of age-matched healthy controls (HC). We also investigated the association between self-reported scores on the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and performance on energization tasks. The individuals with apathy made significantly fewer task-related actions than the HC on the novel spontaneous action task, and their scores on the AES were negatively correlated with spontaneous task-related actions, providing preliminary evidence for the task's construct validity. In addition, the individuals with apathy performed more poorly than the HC on all of the energization tasks, regardless of task type or stimulus modality, suggesting difficulty in sustaining voluntary responding over time. Most of the tasks also correlated negatively with the AES score. However, the individuals with apathy also performed more poorly on some of the executive function tasks, particularly those involving self-monitoring. Our work presents a novel experimental task for measuring spontaneous action initiation-a key symptom of apathy-and suggests a possible contribution of apathy to neuropsychological deficits such as poor energization.

Empirical evidence for the neurocognitive effect of nitrous oxide as an adjunctive therapy in patients with treatment resistant depression: A randomized controlled study

Nitrous oxide (N2O) has demonstrated an antidepressant effect for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but no studies investigated the effects of N2O on different cognition domains. This study aimed to test whether N2O would display pro-cognitive effects. We conducted a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial, 44 patients with TRD were randomized to N2O group (one-hour inhalation of 50% N2O/50% oxygen) or placebo group (50% air/50% oxygen). Thirty-four patients completed cognitive tests at the pre-treatment phase, 1-week, and 2 weeks post-treatment including subjective cognitive function, processing speed, attention, and executive function. Although the antidepressant effect of N2O was not significant at 1 week, patients still showed better performance of executive function at 1 week after receiving N2O compared with the placebo. Moreover, this significant improvement still existed at 1 week after controlling for the change in depressive symptoms over-time. Additionally, no significant difference was observed in subjective cognitive function, processing speed, and attention between these two groups across the 2-week follow-up period. As the first study investigating the treatment effects of N2O on improving cognitive function in TRD patients, the current study indicated that N2O has a potential pro-cognitive effect on executive function and this effect might be independent from improvements in depressive symptoms.

Gender differences in cognitive function and its associated factors among older adults with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is widely prevalent among older people and can influence accelerated cognitive decline. Gender-based disparities may contribute to variations in cognitive decline. This study examined gender differences in cognitive function and associated factors among older adults with diabetes. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 318 Taiwanese older adults with type 2 diabetes. Demographic, health, and diabetes-related data were collected, and cognitive neuropsychological tests were evaluated. Compared to men, women with diabetes showed significantly poorer performance in global cognitive function and executive function. Age, years of education, sleep quality, and HbA1c were correlated with domains of cognitive function in men, whereas age, years of education, depressive symptoms, HbA1c, and duration of diabetes were associated with domains of cognitive function among women. Nurses should recognize gender differences in factors associated with cognitive function in older adults with diabetes and should develop individualized interventions to improve patients’ cognitive function.

Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management.

Children's heavy reliance on screen media has raised serious public health issues since it might harm their cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth. This study examines the effects of screen time on many developmental domains and covers management and limitation techniques for kids' screen usage. Screen media has a wide range of cognitive consequences, with both beneficial and detrimental effects noted. Screens can improve education and learning; however, too much time spent in front of a screen and multitasking with other media has been related to worse executive functioning and academic performance. As screen time reduces the amount and quality of interactions between children and their caregivers, it can also have an impact on language development. Contextual elements like co-viewing and topic appropriateness are key in determining how language development is impacted. Additionally, excessive screen usage has detrimental effects on social and emotional growth, including a rise in the likelihood of obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. It can obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one's psychological health in general. Setting boundaries, utilizing parental controls, and demonstrating good screen behavior are all techniques that parents may use to manage children's screen usage. We can reduce the possible negative impacts of excessive screen time and promote children's healthy development and well-being by increasing knowledge and encouraging alternative activities that stimulate development.

The Effect of Phonetic Similarity on Domain-General Executive Control in Color-Shape Task: Evidence from Cantonese-Mandarin and Beijing-Dialect-Mandarin Bidialectals.

The present study was carried out to investigate whether bidialectals have a similar advantage in domain-general executive function as bilinguals and if so whether the phonetic similarity between two different dialects can modulate the executive function performance in the conflicting-switching task. The results showed that the latencies for switching trials in mixed block (SMs) were longest, non-switching trials in mixed block (NMs) were medium, and non-switching trials in pure block (NPs) were the shortest in the conflict-switching task in all three groups of participants. Importantly, the difference between NPs and NMs varied as a function of phonetic similarity between two dialects with Cantonese-Mandarin bidialectal speakers being the minimum, Beijing-dialect-Mandarin bidialectals medium, and Mandarin native speakers maximum. These results provide strong evidence that there is an advantage in balanced bidialectals's executive function which is modulated by the phonetic similarity between two dialects suggesting that phonetic similarity plays an important role in domain-general executive function.

A biopsychosocial perspective of the effects of stress during development and its relationship to one’s vulnerability to psychopathology

Various stress-related psychopathologies, for which the prevalence is known to increase during late childhood and early adolescence, have been associated with dysregulated patterns of cortisol secretion and distinct cognitive profiles. Most studies have been performed in clinical populations and utilize cross-sectional designs. As such, this has prevented researchers from drawing clear conclusions regarding the temporality of the observed effects. Importantly, different individual, familial, and societal factors are known to impact the regulation of the HPA axis activity. Therefore, these factors may moderate one’s risk of developing certain psychopathologies and/or modulating symptom severity or cognitive profiles that characterize various stress-related psychopathologies. This symposium is composed of four young investigators and will focus on the cognitive and clinical correlates of stress exposure in childhood, as well as the various individual, familial, and societal influences that moderate these effects. First, Catherine Raymond (Université du Québec à Montréal) will present data on cortisol reactivity and emotional cognitive processes in healthy children exhibiting high levels of vulnerability to anxiety, as assessed by various personality traits known to be predictive of clinical anxiety. Then, the two following presentations will address COVID-related stress in children. Alexe Bilodeau-Houle (Université du Québec à Montréal) will first discuss how cortisol levels prior to and following the first COVID-19 lockdown are related to psychological distress symptoms in healthy children. Thereafter, Sydney Yi (University of California) will present data related to the pandemic from a family-related perspective. Of note, she will comment on the effect of COVID-19-related parental job loss and financial stress on executive functioning performance and mental health in a parent and their child. Finally, Christina Cantave (University of Montreal) will present data pertaining to socio-economic status mobility during childhood and adolescence and how this relates to HPA axis activity in twin dyads. Altogether, this data will present a biopsychosocial perspective of how stress during childhood modulates one’s vulnerability to develop stress-related psychopathologies.

Executive Function, Perceived Stress, and Academic Performance Among Middle Schoolers With and Without Behavior Problems

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) characteristically experience academic difficulties. There is growing evidence that the continuum from academic competence to underachievement is partially explained by executive function (EF; neurocognitive attention-regulation processes) and stress. Yet, there is scarce research investigating these relationships among students with or at risk for EBD, especially during the elevated stress and risk period of middle school, and particularly among racially/ethnically under-represented groups. Therefore, with 118 U.S. middle schoolers with or at risk for EBD and typical peers (70% Hispanic/Latinx; 25% Black), we examined group differences and relationships among perceived family, peer, and school stress, EF, and academic outcomes. When compared with their typical peers, students with or at risk for EBD scored lower on EF and academic tasks. For all students, higher EF predicted better academic functioning. Perceived stress was directly and negatively related with EF and indirectly associated with academic outcomes via EF.

A-22 Beyond Sports and Concussions: The Link between Shifting and Higher-Order Executive Functioning in Young Women

Abstract Purpose Our aim was to investigate the role of lifestyle factors, physical activity, sport, and concussion history, as well as Miyake and colleague’s (2000) three lower-order factors of executive function (shifting, updating, and inhibition) on higher-order decision making and self-reported executive functioning in young women. Methods 180 Canadian female university students (ages 18–25) completed 9 computerized executive function tasks assessing shifting, updating, and inhibition, as well as decision making (Iowa Gambling Task). Participants also completed the Executive Function Index (subjective executive functioning) and reported their age, concussion history, weekly physical activity, and level of sports participation. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the effects of the predictor variables on the Executive Function Index scores and Iowa Gambling Task scores. Results Only shifting significantly predicted both subjective executive functioning scores (b=2.65, p&amp;lt;.05) and Iowa Gambling Task performance (b=269.02, p&amp;lt;.01). Weekly physical activity was significantly associated with subjective executive functioning (b=.10, p&amp;lt;.01), but not Iowa Gambling Task performance. Age, concussion history, sport participation, inhibition, and updating were not significant for either regression. Conclusions These findings suggest that shifting may be a critical component of both higher-order decision making and subjective executive functioning, while physical activity may be important for subjective executive functioning. The lack of predictive value for lifestyle factors such as concussion history and sports participation suggests that there are other factors influencing executive functioning performance in healthy young women. Future studies should explore other factors, such as hormonal variability, that may be impact subjective executive functioning and decision making in young women.

A-71 Olympic team rowers and team swimmers show altered functional brain activation during working memory and action inhibition

Abstract Purpose High-level expertise in team-sports has been found to be associated with superior performance on executive functions (EFs) such as working memory (WM) and action inhibition, and with altered activation of brain areas related to these EFs. In most such studies, athletes were sampled from the domain of dynamic (i.e., open-skill) team-sports (e.g., soccer players). Whether static (i.e., closed-skill) team-sports athletes (e.g., rowers and synchronized swimmers) show superior EFs performance and differential EF-related functional brain activation as well remains unknown. Methods We recruited 14 elite closed-skill athletes, all national champions, and internationally competitive in various rowing disciplines, as well as 14 controls matched on gender, age, and education, and had them perform working memory and action inhibition (stop-signal) tasks during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning. Results Group differences in performance in either task failed to obtain statistical significance, although athletes showed a numerical trend toward higher WM capacity than controls. Importantly, task-related BOLD responses suggested that Olympic closed-skill team athletes show stronger recruitment of brain areas that emphasize relatively stable task demands and weaker engagement of brain areas that emphasize rapidly changing demands imposed by extraneous stimulation. Conclusions Functional brain imaging data suggest that elite closed-skill athletes may employ different cognitive strategies.

Familiality of the Intelligence Quotient in First Episode Psychosis: Is the Degree of Family Resemblance Associated With Different Profiles?

There is uncertainty about the relationship between the family intelligence quotient (IQ) deviation and the risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). This study tested the hypothesis that IQ is familial in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients and that their degree of familial resemblance is associated with different profiles. The participants of the PAFIP-FAMILIAS project (129 FEP patients, 143 parents, and 97 siblings) completed the same neuropsychological battery. IQ-familiality was estimated through the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). For each family, the intra-family resemblance score (IRS) was calculated as an index of familial similarity. The FEP patients were subgrouped and compared according to their IRS and IQ. IQ-familiality was low-moderate (ICC = 0.259). A total of 44.9% of the FEP patients had a low IRS, indicating discordancy with their family-IQ. Of these patients, those with low IQ had more schizophrenia diagnosis and a trend towards poorer premorbid adjustment in childhood and early adolescence. Whereas FEP patients with low IQ closely resembling their family-IQ were characterized by having the lowest performance in executive functions. The deviation from the familial cognitive performance may be related to a particular pathological process in SSD. Individuals with low IQ who do not reach their cognitive familial potential show difficulties in adjustment since childhood, probably influenced by environmental factors. Instead, FEP patients with high phenotypic family resemblance might have a more significant genetic burden for the disorder.

Functional Connectivity and Microstructural Network Correlates of Interindividual Variability in Distinct Executive Functions of Healthy Older Adults

Executive functions, essential for daily life, are known to be impaired in older age. Some executive functions, including working memory updating and value-based decision-making, are specifically sensitive to age-related deterioration. While their neural correlates in young adults are well-described, a comprehensive delineation of the underlying brain substrates in older populations, relevant to identify targets for modulation against cognitive decline, is missing. Here, we assessed letter updating and Markov decision-making task performance to operationalize these trainable functions in 48 older adults. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired to quantify functional connectivity (FC) in task-relevant frontoparietal and default mode networks. Microstructure in white matter pathways mediating executive functions was assessed with diffusion tensor imaging and quantified by tract-based fractional anisotropy (FA). Superior letter updating performance correlated with higher FC between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left frontoparietal and hippocampal areas, while superior Markov decision-making performance correlated with decreased FC between basal ganglia and right angular gyrus. Furthermore, better working memory updating performance was related to higher FA in the cingulum bundle and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Stepwise linear regression showed that cingulum bundle FA added significant incremental contribution to the variance explained by fronto-angular FC alone. Our findings provide a characterization of distinct functional and structural connectivity correlates associated with performance of specific executive functions. Thereby, this study contributes to the understanding of the neural correlates of updating and decision-making functions in older adults, paving the way for targeted modulation of specific networks by modulatory techniques such as behavioral interventions and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Obstructive sleep apnea and cognitive functioning in the older general population: The moderating effect of age, sex, ApoE4, and obesity.

Research on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and cognitive functioning has yielded conflicting results, particularly in the older population, and moderators of this association have rarely been studied. Here we investigated the cross-sectional association between obstructive sleep apnea and cognitive functioning as well as the moderating effect of age, sex, apolipoprotein E4, and obesity on this association among community-dwelling older people. We analysed data from 496 participants (71.4 ± 4.4 years; 45.6% men) of the HypnoLaus study who underwent polysomnography and a battery of neuropsychological tests. The sample was categorised as no-to-mild obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index 0-14.9/h; reference), moderate obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index 15.0-29.9/h), or severe obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index ≥30/h). Regression and moderation analyses were performed with adjustment for confounders. Apolipoprotein E4 and obesity moderated the association between severe obstructive sleep apnea and processing speed, whereas no moderating effects were found for age and sex. In apolipoprotein E4 carriers only, severe obstructive sleep apnea was associated with lower performance in Stroop condition 1 (B = 3.13, p = 0.024). In obese participants only, severe obstructive sleep apnea was associated with lower performance in Stroop condition 1 (B = 3.02, p = 0.025) and Stroop condition 2 (B = 3.30, p = 0.034). Severe obstructive sleep apnea was also associated with lower executive function in the whole sample according to Stroop condition 3 (B = 3.44, p = 0.020) and Stroop interference score (B = 0.24, p = 0.006). Our findings support associations of severe obstructive sleep apnea (but not moderate obstructive sleep apnea) with lower performance in processing speed and executive function in the older general population. Apolipoprotein E4 and obesity appear to be vulnerability factors that strengthen the association between severe obstructive sleep apnea and lower performance in processing speed.