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Impaired executive functioning in young adults born very preterm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2007

CHIARA NOSARTI ,
ELENA GIOUROUKOU ,
NADIA MICALI ,
LARRY RIFKIN ,
ROBIN G. MORRIS  and
ROBIN M. MURRAY
CHIARA NOSARTI
Affiliation:
Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Section of General Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
ELENA GIOUROUKOU
Affiliation:
Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Section of General Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
NADIA MICALI
Affiliation:
Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
LARRY RIFKIN
Affiliation:
Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Section of General Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
ROBIN G. MORRIS
Affiliation:
Department of Neurodegeneration & Brain Injury and Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
ROBIN M. MURRAY
Affiliation:
Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Section of General Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract

Individuals born very preterm (VPT) are at increased risk of perinatal brain injury and long-term cognitive and behavioral problems. Executive functioning, in particular, has been shown to be impaired in VPT children and adolescents. This study prospectively assessed executive function in young adults who were born VPT (<33 weeks of gestation) [n = 61; mean age, 22.25 (±1.07) years; range, 20.62–24.78 years] and controls [n = 64; mean age, 23.20 (±1.48) years; range, 19.97–25.46 years]. Tests used comprised the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), the Hayling Sentence Completion Test (HSCT), the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), the Animal and Object test, the Trail-Making Test (TMT), and the Test of Attentional Performance (TAP). VPT participants showed specific executive function impairments in tasks involving response inhibition and mental flexibility, even when adjusting for IQ, gender, and age. No significant associations were observed between executive function test scores and perinatal variables or neonatal ultrasound classification. The results suggest that, although free from major physical disability, VPT young adults perform worse than controls on tasks involving selective aspects of executive processing, such as mental flexibility and response inhibition. (JINS, 2007, 13, 571–581.)

Keywords

Premature birthGestational ageNeuropsychologyWechsler ScalesInhibition (Psychology)Cognition
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , July 2007 , pp. 571 - 581
Copyright
© 2007 The International Neuropsychological Society

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