Validation of a mobile game-based assessment of cognitive control among children and adolescents.

Cognitive control is the most fundamental psychological function that underlies the execution of many other psychological functions. A mobile game application could be a useful strategy to evaluate cognitive control in the groups of children and adolescents. Although a serious game that is based on gamification would be an optimal platform for the administration of behavioral and clinical assessments of children and adolescents, most studies on gamification have been conducted among adults and older adults than among children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess cognitive control using a mobile game that used gamification and compared the results to those from traditional neuropsychological tests for children and adolescents. In order to address this objective, this study used a serious game, namely, "CoCon," which was developed to assess cognitive control in children and adolescents. This study included 100 participants from a community sample (mean age = 11.75 years, ranged from 9 to 16 years, SD = 1.40 years; Male = 59(59%), Female = 41(41%)). The analyses interrogated the relationships among various game behaviors scores of CoCon, the standardized neuropsychological tests (K-WISC-IV, CTT, and Stroop), and self-reporting executive function difficulty questionnaire. As results, a mobile game application-based assessment proved to be a reliable and valid measure of the cognitive control in children and adolescents. The index scores from the CoCon were significantly related to various cognitive control functions and differentiated between the high and low cognitive control groups. Specifically, even though the participants completed the mobile game 'CoCon' in their natural habitats, the CoCon scores were comparable to the measures from standard neuropsychological tests. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that mobile games that use advanced technology and sophisticated psychological strategies can serve as a new and expanded platform for the administration of psychological assessments.

Assessment of the correlation between TIMP4 SNPs and schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are involved in synaptic plasticity, neuronal cell differentiation and neuroprotection in the central nervous system. To investigate whether TIMP4 polymorphisms are associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), 480 patients (schizophrenia, n=287; ASDs, n=193) and 296 controls were enrolled. Clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and ASDs were assessed using the operation criteria checklist for psychotic illness (OPCRIT) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), respectively. One promoter single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs3755724, -55C/T) and one exonic SNP (rs17035945, 3'-untranslated region) were selected. SNPStats and SNPAnalyzer Pro programs were used to calculate odds ratios. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to analyze the genetic data. Based on the results, these two SNPs were not associated with schizophrenia and ASD. In the analysis of clinical features of schizophrenia, rs3755724 was nominally associated with schizophrenia with poor concentration (P=0.044 in the codominant2 model, P=0.041 in the log-additive model and P=0.043 in allele frequency). These results suggest that TIMP4 is not associated with the development of schizophrenia and ASD in the population studied.

Assessment of regional GABA(A) receptor binding using 18F-fluoroflumazenil positron emission tomography in spastic type cerebral palsy.

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) due to hypoxic-ischemic insult to the immature brain, chorioamnionitis and maternal infection are the major etiological factors of spastic type cerebral palsy (CP). Despite advances in preventing and treating certain causes of CP, the number of patients has remained essentially unchanged and the pathophysiological mechanisms related to motor dysfunction remain poorly understood. In this study, statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis of cerebral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor PET imaging using [18F]-fluoroflumazenil showed increased GABA(A) receptor binding in the bilateral motor and visual cortices in spastic diplegia (SD) type CP patients (n = 20) compared with normal controls (n = 10). As GABA(A) receptor signaling modulates biological perception and production of movement, complex motor skills and use-dependent plasticity in the motor cortex, increased GABA(A) receptor binding in the motor cortex might play a important role in poor motor control. Decreased GABA(A) receptor binding was seen in the brain stem in SD CP patients, which appears to be related to spastic symptom.