Anja C. Lepach

Gender differences in episodic memory and visual working memory including the effects of age.

Analysing the relationship between gender and memory, and examining the effects of age on the overall memory-related functioning, are the ongoing goals of psychological research. The present study examined gender and age group differences in episodic memory with respect to the type of task. In addition, these subgroup differences were also analysed in visual working memory. A sample of 366 women and 330 men, aged between 16 and 69 years of age, participated in the current study. Results indicate that women outperformed men on auditory memory tasks, whereas male adolescents and older male adults showed higher level performances on visual episodic and visual working memory measures. However, the size of gender-linked effects varied somewhat across age groups. Furthermore, results partly support a declining performance on episodic memory and visual working memory measures with increasing age. Although age-related losses in episodic memory could not be explained by a decreasing verbal and visuospatial ability with age, womens advantage in auditory episodic memory could be explained by their advantage in verbal ability. Mens higher level visual episodic memory performance was found to result from their advantage in visuospatial ability. Finally, possible methodological, biological, and cognitive explanations for the current findings are discussed.

Neuropsychologische Diagnostik und Therapie von Aufmerksamkeits- und Gedächtnisstörungen im Kindesalter

Störungen der Aufmerksamkeits- und Gedächtnisleistungen sind auch im Kindesalter von großer Bedeutung. Beides sind wichtige Basisfunktionen, die für höhere kognitive Prozesse erforderlich sind. Zwischen den Funktionen kommt es nicht nur im Rahmen des Arbeitsgedächtnismodells zu Überschneidungen. Das Problem der Trennschärfe muss demnach durch differenzierte diagnostische Methoden gelöst werden. Es werden exemplarisch Verfahren zur Diagnostik aufgeführt. Außerdem wird das neuropsychologische Vorgehen in der Therapie dieser Störungen beispielhaft an zwei kindgerechten Trainingsverfahren demonstriert.

Neuropsychologische Diagnostik von Merk- und Lernstörungen mit der MLT-C

Zusammenfassung. Bei der Memory and Learning Testbatterie for Children (MLT-C) handelt es sich um ein Verfahren, das zur Erfassung globaler sowie modalitats- und funktionsspezifischer Storungen der Merk- und Lernfahigkeit bei 6;0- bis 16;11-Jahrigen konzipiert wurde. Die Testbatterie ist in acht Hauptuntertest und sechs optionale Zusatztests gegliedert. Es lassen sich funf verschiedene Skalen ermitteln: Aufmerksamkeit/Konzentration, Visuelles Merken, Visuelles Lernen, Auditives Merken und Auditives Lernen. Die Testbatterie wurde an 405 Kindern in Deutschland und der Schweiz normiert und auf die teststatistische Gultigkeit der Items uberpruft. Die statistischen Kennwerte p und r(it) sind in allen Hauptuntertests mindestens zufrieden stellend. Daraus lasst sich ableiten, dass es sich hier um ein hilfreiches Verfahren zur kindgerechten Diagnostik von Merk- und Lernfahigkeitsstorungen handelt.

Wirksamkeit neuropsychologischer Therapie bei Kindern mit Merkfähigkeitsstörungen

Das Gedachtnistraining REMINDER wurde als neuropsychologische Einzeltherapie fur die ambulante Behandlung von Gedachtnisstorungen bei Kindern konzipiert; mit dem Programm werden Merkfahigkeitsleistungen trainiert und Merk- und Lernstrategien vermittelt. Mit der vorliegenden Arbeit soll die Wirksamkeit des Trainings anhand eines Wartekontrollgruppendesigns gepruft werden. Dafur wurden 21 Kinder vor und nach dem Training mit dem BASIC-Merk- und Lernfahigkeitstest (BASIC-MLT) getestet und die Ergebnisse mit denen einer Wartekontrollgruppe (N = 16) verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen deutliche Verbesserungen der Testleistungen fur die Therapiegruppe. Des Weiteren liegen Pra-Post-Ergebnisse und katamnestische Daten (N = 31) anhand des VLMT und des DCS vor, die eine Stabilitat der Therapieeffekte bestatigen.

Interstitial deletion on chromosome 5q33.3q35.1 in a 6-year-old girl -- neuropsychological findings and follow-up in an extremely rare chromosomal aberration.

Interstitial deletion on chromosome 5q33.3q35.1 is an extremely rare chromosomal aberration for which a characteristic syndrome could not yet be delineated. In most patients with 5q deletions severe mental retardation is described. Recently, Spranger et al. (2000) described the case of a 4-year-old girl with a de novo deletion on 5q33.3q35.1 presenting only with mild psychomotor delay, minor facial anomalies, and seizures. The patient was admitted for outpatient neuropsychological assessment when she was 6.2 years old. Neurocognitive tests revealed an overall developmental delay of about 32 months and an intelligence score in the range of mild mental retardation. Her cognitive phenotype was characterized by a considerable visualspatial deficit in the form of disorganized drawings or block designs indicating a profound lack of cohesion and overall global organization (decay of gestalt). The patient’s behavioral phenotype was dominated by a distinct disinhibition syndrome demonstrating severe hyperactivity, utilization behavior, and aggressive behavior.

Memory assessment and depression: Testing for factor structure and measurement invariance of the Wechsler Memory Scale–Fourth Edition across a clinical and matched control sample

Between-group comparisons are permissible and meaningfully interpretable only if diagnostic instruments are proved to measure the same latent dimensions across different groups. Addressing this issue, the present study was carried out to provide a rigorous test of measurement invariance. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine which model solution could best explain memory performance as measured by the Wechsler Memory Scale–Fourth Edition (WMS–IV) in a clinical depression sample and in healthy controls. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the evidence for measurement invariance. A three-factor model solution including the dimensions of auditory memory, visual memory, and visual working memory was identified to best fit the data in both samples, and measurement invariance was partially satisfied. The results supported clinical utility of the WMS–IV—that is, auditory and visual memory performances of patients with depressive disorders are interpretable on the basis of the WMS–IV standardization data. However, possible differences in visual working memory functions between healthy and depressed individuals could restrict comparisons of the WMS–IV working memory index.

Neuropsychologische Befunde zu Merk- und Lernstörungen bei Kindern anhand des BASIC-MLT

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: Unerkannt wirken sich Merk- und Lernstorungen bei Kindern nachhaltig auf die gesamte Entwicklung aus und schranken Therapieerfolge ein. Die differenzierte Erfassung von Art und Ausmas der Merk- und Lernstorung ist wesentlich fur gezielte Interventionen. Diese Studie liefert Hinweise, inwieweit sich altersstufenbezogene Abweichungen bei der Bewaltigung von modalitatsspezifischen Merk- und Lernaufgaben abbilden lassen. Es wird angenommen, dass sich diese besonders fur die auditive Modalitat zeigen. Methodik: Dafur wurden die Untertestleistungen von 403 Kindern einer Normstichprobe zum BASIC-MLT varianzanalytisch fur den Faktor Alter (11 Jahrgange von 6-16 Jahren) gepruft. Des Weiteren wurden Abweichungen der Altersgruppenmittelwerte auf Signifikanz gepruft. Ergebnisse: Die Varianzanalyse zeigt signifikante Werte fur die auditiven Untertests «Gerauschfolgen» und «Worter Lernen Delay», entsprechende paarweise Einzelvergleiche weisen fur beide Untertests darauf hin, dass die Lei...

Comparisons of the BASIC-Memory and Learning Test and the WISC-IV Under Developmental Aspects

This study compares results of a new children memory and learning test, the BASIC-MLT and the latest Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth edition (WISC-IV) in a nonclinical German sample (N = 103). All participants were assessed with both instruments (order balanced). Pearson correlations were computed between subtest, scale and IQ scores from the intelligence scales and the scores from the BASIC-MLT separate for three defined age groups (Group 1: 6 to < 10 years, Group 2: 10 to < 13 years, Group 3: 13 to 16 years). Moderate to high correlations were found between Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and BASIC-MLT’s memory quotient (MQ). Referring to Siegler’s (1998, 2004) memory theories the relations of reasoning (Matrix Reasoning), semantic knowledge (Vocabulary), working memory (Letter-Number Sequencing) and processing speed (Symbol Search) were focused for further investigation. Significant correlations can be found for Matrix Reasoning and MQ in Group 1 only. For Vocabulary significant correlations can b...

Executive Functioning and Visual Working Memory

The matter of modality is controversially discussed in the context of working memory (WM). There is evidence that modality-specific processes are accompanied by amodal processes to some extent. We investigated the relationship between executive-functioning tasks and visual WM (VWM) and were especially interested in the issue of amodal processes. Our correlational analyses suggest modality-independent relations of the tasks. We also aimed to quantify to what extent executive functioning is meaningful for VWM performances. We therefore estimated the relationship between executive tasks and VWM performances in a healthy (n = 710) and a clinical traumatic brain injury sample (n = 151) as well as in the combined total sample. The results indicate a substantial relevance of the verbal task for VWM performances in the total and the clinical sample but a low relevance in the healthy sample. These results could support assumptions of resource-depending differences in the relations of executive functioning and VWM but need further validation due to limitations of our study.

Episodic memory and executive functioning in currently depressed patients compared to healthy controls

At present, little is still known about the link between depression, memory and executive functioning. This study examined whether there are memory-related impairments in depressed patients and whether the size of such deficits depends on the age group and on specific types of cognitive measures. Memory performances of 215 clinically depressed patients were compared to the data of a matched control sample. Regression analyses were performed to determine the extent to which executive dysfunctions contributed to episodic memory impairments. When compared with healthy controls, significantly lower episodic memory and executive functioning performances were found for depressed patients of all age groups. Effect sizes appeared to vary across different memory and executive functioning measures. The extent to which executive dysfunctions could explain episodic memory impairments varied depending on the type of measure examined. These findings emphasise the need to consider memory-related functioning of depressed patients in the context of therapeutic treatments.