Fine Motor Skills Predict Executive Dysfunction in Children with Frontal Lobe Epilepsy
Abstract number :
3.364
Submission category :
11. Behavior/Neuropsychology/Language / 11B. Pediatrics
Year :
2022
Submission ID :
2204975
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/5/2022 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2022, 05:27 AM
Authors :
Moshe Maiman, PhD – Boston's Children's Hospital; Szimonetta Mulati, PhD – Boston Children's Harvard; Trey Moore, BS – Boston Children's Harvard; Song dam, BS – Boston Children's Harvard; Alena Hornak, BS – Boston Children's Harvard; Katrina Boyer, PhD – Boston Children's Harvard; Clemente Vega, PsyD – Boston Children's Harvard; Melissa Tsuboyama, MD – Boston Children's Harvard; Jeffrey Bolton, MD – Boston Children's Harvard; Phillip Pearl, MD – Boston Children's Harvard; Alyssa Ailion, PhD – Boston Children's Harvard
Rationale: Children with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) have higher rates of executive dysfunction than the normative population (van den Berg, de Weerd, Reuvekamp, Hagebeuk, & van der Meere, 2018). Early detection of executive functioning (EF) impairments is important as they are linked to reduced quality of life in this group. One possible marker is fine motor (FM) skills, as studies have documented relations between these constructs in other groups (Roebers et al., 2014). Still, these associations have not been explored in children with FLE, which is the goal of this study.
Methods: A total of 28 children with FLE (Age: M=12.26, SD=4.24; IQM=88.64; SD=11.17) completed neuropsychological testing as part of their Phase I Epilepsy Surgical Evaluation at Boston Children’s Hospital. An epileptologist rendered a diagnosis of FLE via long-term electroencephalography. Participants completed a comprehensive battery of tests that included domains of FM (manual dexterity and visuomotor integration) and EF (working memory, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, and planning).
Results: Manual dexterity (Lafayette Grooved Pegboard) was related to working memory (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition [WISC-IV] – Digit Span: r(18)=.75, p< .01, d=.56) and cognitive flexibility (Delis Kaplan Executive Function System [D-KEFS] - Trails Making Test Number-Letter Sequencing: r(21)=.48, p=.03, d=.23). Visuomotor integration (Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration – Six Edition) was also associated with working memory (WISC-IV Digit Span: r(15)=.83, p<.01, d=.69), semantic fluency (D-KEFS Category Fluency: r(16)=.61, p=.02, d=.37), and planning (D-KEFS Tower: r(15)=.61, p=.01, d=.37). _x000D_
Behavior