Effects of physical activity on cognition and psychosocial functioning in pediatric epilepsy: A systematic review.

Pediatric patients with epilepsy often have psychosocial and cognitive difficulties. Physical activity has emerged as a lifestyle modification that may reduce seizure burden, enhance brain plasticity, and improve cognitive and psychosocial comorbidities. We systematically reviewed published studies examining the effect of physical activity on cognitive and psychosocial function in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Studies were identified with PubMed and Emory Library databases. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Six of 10 studies related to psychosocial outcomes showed benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents with epilepsy, including improvements in internalizing symptoms, relationships, self-esteem, and psychological well-being, but four of the 10 studies showed no psychosocial benefits. Of the six studies evaluating cognitive outcomes, all six indicated that physical activity was associated with cognitive improvements in pediatric epilepsy, including areas of attention, processing speed, executive function, and memory. Our review was limited by the paucity of published studies on this topic, and the use of different measurement tools limited our ability to make direct comparisons between studies. Additional studies that compare pediatric epilepsy populations to non-epilepsy control groups are needed to better understand how physical activity affects seizure control and epilepsy-related comorbidities.

Neuropsychological assessment, intervention, and best practices for women with non-Central nervous system cancer: A scoping review of current standards.

Objective: Existing literature has sought to characterize the broad cognitive impact of non-central nervous system cancer and its treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and hormonal regulation. However, despite the frequency of women that are diagnosed with breast and gynecological cancer, there is limited research on the specific cognitive experiences of women undergoing cancer treatment. Presently, the current literature lacks concise guidance for neuropsychologists to support the cognitive health of women facing cancer, despite the acknowledged impact of cancer interventions and chronic illness on cognitive outcomes. Method: Applying scoping review criteria outlined by Peters et al. (2015) and adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive examination of literature spanning multiple databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, PsychINFO) with a focus on the cognitive impact of cancer treatment on women. Conclusions: Women are subject to unique treatment-related outcomes due to the impact of hormonal alterations, differences in metabolization of certain chemotherapies, and psychosocial risk factors. Despite the known impact of cancer intervention, chronic illness, and cancer-related sequelae on cognitive outcomes, the current literature does not parsimoniously outline best practices for neuropsychologists to promote the health of women experiencing cancer. The current paper (1) provides an overview of the cognitive implications of cancer treatment with an intentional focus on cancers that are more prevalent in women versus men, (2) addresses the characteristics of this impact for women undergoing cancer intervention(s), and (3) provides possible intervention and treatment strategies for mental health providers and neuropsychologists.

Empirically derived symptom profiles in adults with attention-Deficit/hyperactivity disorder: An unsupervised machine learning approach.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with various cognitive, behavioral, and mood symptoms that complicate diagnosis and treatment. The heterogeneity of these symptoms may also vary depending on certain sociodemographic factors. It is therefore important to establish more homogenous symptom profiles in patients with ADHD and determine their association with the patient's sociodemographic makeup. The current study used unsupervised machine learning to identify symptom profiles across various cognitive, behavioral, and mood symptoms in adults with ADHD. It was then examined whether symptom profiles differed based on relevant sociodemographic factors. METHODS: Participants were 382 adult outpatients (62% female; 51% non-Hispanic White) referred for neuropsychological evaluation for ADHD. RESULTS: Employing Gaussian Mixture Modeling, we identified two distinct symptom profiles in adults with ADHD: "ADHD-Plus Symptom Profile" and "ADHD-Predominate Symptom Profile." These profiles were primarily differentiated by internalizing psychopathology (Cohen's d = 1.94-2.05), rather than by subjective behavioral and cognitive symptoms of ADHD or neurocognitive test performance. In a subset of 126 adults without ADHD who were referred for the same evaluation, the unsupervised machine learning algorithm only identified one symptom profile. Group comparison analyses indicated that female patients were most likely to present with an ADHD-Plus Symptom Profile (χ2 = 5.43, p < .001). CONCLUSION: The machine learning technique used in this study appears to be an effective way to elucidate symptom profiles emerging from comprehensive ADHD evaluations. These findings further underscore the importance of considering internalizing symptoms and patients' sex when contextualizing adult ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

Differentiating Performance on the Connors Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3) as a Function of Comorbid Internalizing Psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE: Internalizing psychopathology commonly co-occurs with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Attention concerns are present in both ADHD and internalizing disorders, yet the neuropsychological functioning of those with comorbid ADHD and internalizing psychopathology is underexamined. METHOD: This study compared Conners' Continuous Performance Test-Third Edition (CPT-3) profiles across ADHD (n = 141), internalizing psychopathology (n = 78), and comorbid (ADHD/internalizing psychopathology; n = 240) groups. RESULTS: Compared to the internalizing psychopathology group, the comorbid group had higher mean T-scores on CPT-3 indices indicative of inattentiveness and impulsivity and more clinically elevated T-scores (T>60) on indices measuring inattentiveness and impaired sustained attention. Patients in the comorbid group were also more likely to have abnormal overall CPT-3 profiles (>2 elevated T-scores) than the ADHD and psychopathology only groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with comorbid ADHD/internalizing psychopathology may evidence a more impaired attentional performance on the CPT-3, which could aid in more tailored treatment planning.

The Effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on ADHD Symptom Reporting, Psychological Symptoms, and Cognitive Performance Among Adult Neuropsychological Referrals.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are early life experiences that influence mental health outcomes, though there are mixed findings reported in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The current study compared adults who experienced ACEs on measures of ADHD symptom reporting, psychological symptoms, and neurocognitive test performance. METHOD: The sample (n = 115) had mean age of 28.42 (SD = 6.46); educational attainment of 16.47 years (SD = 1.99); and was 35% male/65% female and racially/ethnically diverse. Participants completed measures of ACEs, ADHD symptoms, psychopathology, and perceived stress, as well as neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: The high ACEs group endorsed higher levels of childhood/adulthood inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive symptoms, and overall childhood symptoms when compared to the low ACEs group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the association between ACEs and cognitive/mental health outcomes. Greater ACEs resulted in higher ADHD symptom reporting but not significantly greater psychological symptoms or worse neurocognitive performance.

Prevalence of neurodevelopmental delays in infants with perinatal HIV infection in comparison with HIV exposure in rural South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Assessing neurodevelopmental functioning in early infancy is essential as this is a critical period for infant development. Infants born to mothers with HIV are at a greater risk of developmental delays than those born to mothers without HIV. In this study, we analyzed differences in early neurodevelopmental functioning for infants with HIV exposure versus HIV infection to inform infant screening and early intervention. METHODS: Participants were recruited from community health centers in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Prenatally, mothers completed baseline demographic assessment at 8 to 24-week gestation periods. Infant neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (BINS) 12 months postnatally. Five areas of development were assessed: cognition, receptive communication, expressive communication, fine motor ability, and gross motor ability. FINDINGS: Postnatal infant assessment using the BINS revealed that infants were at risk for neurodevelopmental delays across all domains assessed. Notably, infants exposed to HIV, regardless of HIV status, were 'at emerging risk' or 'at clear risk' for cognitive (43.5%), receptive communication (38.2%), expressive communication (53.1%), fine motor (49.9%), and gross motor delays (55.6%). Differences were noted by HIV status in the cognition domain, such that HIV-exposed infants were more likely to be at emerging or clear risk than HIV-infected infants. There was a different trend with gross motor delays, such that HIV-infected infants were at a greater risk for motor delays than HIV-exposed, uninfected infants. CONCLUSION: Screening tools for this vulnerable population provide valuable early life assessment to determine infant needs for intervention and treatment planning. Such interventions may mitigate the impact of HIV status on neurodevelopmental health generally and cognition.

Examining daily parent involvement in caregivers of children with ADHD using electronic diaries.

Limited research has examined the associations between child ADHD symptoms and parent involvement and has generally relied on the use of parents' retrospective reports of parent involvement and ADHD symptoms. Using daily reports, the current study explored the pathways between child ADHD symptoms and home-based parental involvement beliefs and behaviors. Data were collected daily from 26 parent participants over a 2-week period for a total of 315 time points. Daily surveys asked parents to report on child ADHD symptoms, parental self-efficacy, parental time/energy, and home-based involvement quality. Results indicated that parental self-efficacy mediated the association between children's inattentive symptoms and parental home-based involvement quality. Children's hyperactive/impulsive symptoms moderated the association between parental time/energy and parental home-based involvement quality. These results suggest that parental self-efficacy is an important factor in explaining how children's inattention is associated with parental quality of home-based involvement. In addition, the association between parental time/energy and home-based involvement quality was lower when parents perceived their child to have higher levels of symptoms.