A review of methods for assessment of cognitive function in high-altitude hypoxic environments.

Hypoxic environments like those present at high altitudes may negatively affect brain function. Varying levels of hypoxia, whether acute or chronic, are previously shown to impair cognitive function in humans. Assessment and prevention of such cognitive impairment require detection of cognitive changes and impairment using specific cognitive function assessment tools. This paper summarizes the findings of previous research, outlines the methods for cognitive function assessment used at a high altitude, elaborates the need to develop standardized and systematic cognitive function assessment tools for high-altitude hypoxia environments.

Planning processing in ADHD with comorbid reading disabilities is worse than in ADHD: Based on Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System.

Objective: To explore and compare the cognitive processing weakness of children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid reading disabilities (RD) (ADHD+RD) and children with ADHD only using the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (DN:CAS). Methods: Eighty-eight children with ADHD who visited the hospital for the first time from September 2021 to November 2021 and had a Full scale intelligence quotient (IQ) of ≥85 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children revised in China (C-WISC) were selected (Age: 6-12 years; Grade: 2-6). Based on comorbidity with RD and the subtypes of ADHD (e.g., Inattention dominant type, ADHD-I, Hyperactivity/Impulse dominant type, ADHD-H and Combined type, ADHD-C), these children were divided into the ADHD+RD group (n = 30) and ADHD group (n = 58) as well as the corresponding subgroups. Clinical data on gender, age, grade, IQ scores, and DN:CAS processing scores were compared between both groups/subgroups. Spearman's correlation test was used for correlation analysis of results of interest. Results: No differences in age, grade, male-to-female ratio, verbal IQ, performance IQ, and full scale IQ were observed between the ADHD+RD group and ADHD group as well as the corresponding subgroups (P > 0.05). Children in the ADHD-C+RD subgroup had lower scores in Planning processing of DN:CAS than those in the ADHD-C subgroup (P = 0.040). However, there were no significant difference between the ADHD-I+RD subgroup and ADHD-I subgroup in Planning scores of DN:CAS assessment; The grade of ADHD-C+RD and ADHD-I+RD subgroups were positively correlated with the Planning scores of DN: CAS (r = 0.599, P = 0.030 and r = 0.508, P = 0.044, respectively). The grade of ADHD-C subgroup was positively correlated with the Planning and Simultaneous processing scores of DN: CAS (r = 0.409, P = 0.042 and r = 0.406, P = 0.044, respectively). Conclusion: Our study confirmed that children of ADHD-C with comorbid RD have a more severe Planning processing weakness compared to children with ADHD-C only. Among the children of ADHD-C+RD, ADHD-I+RD and ADHD-C, such a Planning processing impairment may improve with increasing educational skills.

Evaluation of the diagnostic implications of Das-Naglieri cognitive assessment system in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, emotional impulses and difficulty with cognitive functions. The Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (DN: CAS), as a theory-driven assessment kit, was explored based on Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive Theory (PASS). Recent researches have tried to explore the sensitivity and specificity of DN: CAS in diagnosing ADHD; nevertheless, these studies were performed in a small study population. The following study explores the cognitive functions in ADHD by the DN: CAS and to evaluate the DN: CAS's diagnostic value in ADHD. METHODS: A total of 135 children with ADHD and 140 healthy controls were enrolled to evaluate cognitive function by the DN: CAS. ROC curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were applied to evaluate the diagnostic value of DN: CAS on ADHD. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, children with ADHD had significantly lower scores in Planning, Simultaneous (Verbal-Spatial Relations), Attention in the four Subtests of DN: CAS, as well as the total scores. ROC analysis indicated that Planning and Attention of DN: CAS had good classification accuracy in diagnosing ADHD with AUCs of 0.808 and 0.730, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The planning and attention assessment of DN: CAS revealed high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing ADHD, thus suggesting that DN: CAS might be an effective tool in diagnosing ADHD.

A review and empirical study of the composite scales of the Das-Naglieri cognitive assessment system.

Alexander Luria's model of the working brain consisting of three functional units was formulated through the examination of hundreds of focal brain-injury patients. Several psychometric instruments based on Luria's syndrome analysis and accompanying qualitative tasks have been developed since the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, JP Das and colleagues defined a specific cognitive processes model based directly on Luria's two coding units termed simultaneous and successive by studying diverse cross-cultural, ability, and socioeconomic strata. The cognitive assessment system is based on the PASS model of cognitive processes and consists of four composite scales of Planning-Attention-Simultaneous-Successive (PASS) devised by Naglieri and Das in 1997. Das and colleagues developed the two new scales of planning and attention to more closely model Luria's theory of higher cortical functions. In this paper a theoretical review of Luria's theory, Das and colleagues elaboration of Luria's model, and the neural correlates of PASS composite scales based on extant studies is summarized. A brief empirical study of the neuropsychological specificity of the PASS composite scales in a sample of 33 focal cortical stroke patients using cluster analysis is then discussed. Planning and simultaneous were sensitive to right hemisphere lesions. These findings were integrated with recent functional neuroimaging studies of PASS scales. In sum it was found that simultaneous is strongly dependent on dual bilateral occipitoparietal interhemispheric coordination whereas successive demonstrated left frontotemporal specificity with some evidence of interhemispheric coordination across the prefrontal cortex. Hence, support for the validity of the PASS composite scales was found as well as for the axiom of the independence of code content from code type originally specified in 1994 by Das, Naglieri, and Kirby.