Profiles and trajectories of executive functioning in young children with Down syndrome

Abstract

Background Language acquisition strongly predicts executive functioning (EF) in early childhood in typical development and in children with Down syndrome (DS). Both language and EF are critical contributors to later positive social and academic outcomes yet are often areas of concern in children with DS. Despite the wider availability of interventions targeting language development in DS, no efforts have been made to understand how these interventions may influence the development of EF in this population. Methods This study examined secondary data from 76 preschoolers with DS collected as part of a randomised waitlist control trial of an early social communication intervention (JASPER-EMT). Children's EF skills were measured using the BRIEF-P, at three timepoints over 6 months. Linear regression was used to examine the baseline relationship between child characteristics and the three indices of the BRIEF-P: Emergent Metacognition, Flexibility and Inhibitory Self-Control. Linear mixed effects

From neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration: utilizing human stem cell models to gain insight into Down syndrome

“…DS is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID) and impacts approximately 1 in 700 live births ( Mai et al, 2019 ). ID in DS manifests as impairments in language acquisition, executive functioning (i.e., attention, self-control, future planning), and hippocampal-dependent declarative memory ( Carlesimo et al, 1997 ; Vicari et al, 2000 ; Nadel, 2003 ; Cornish et al, 2007 ; Trezise et al, 2008 ; Lanfranchi et al, 2010 ; Costanzo et al, 2013 ; Godfrey and Lee, 2018 ; Dimachkie Nunnally et al, 2023 ), ranging from moderate to severe with intelligent quotient (IQ) scores between 30 and 70 ( Gueant et al, 2005 ; Määttä et al, 2006 ). Individuals with DS are at a greater risk of neurological comorbidities such as epilepsy ( Goldberg-Stern et al, 2001 ; Altuna et al, 2021 ), Alzheimer’s disease ( Mann, 1988 ; McCarron et al, 2017 ; Snyder et al, 2020 ), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ( Capone et al, 2006 ).…”