The association of visuospatial working memory with dysthymic disorder in pre-pubertal children
Author
Franklin, T; Lee, A; Hall, N; Hetrick, S; Ong, J; Haslam, N; Karsz, F; Vance, ADate
2010-02-01Source Title
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINEPublisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESSUniversity of Melbourne Author/s
Hetrick, Sarah; Haslam, Nicholas; Vance, Alasdair; HALL, NICOLE; Franklin, Tamsen; LEE, AMY; ONG, JEAN YHI; KARSZ, FELICITYAffiliation
Department of Paediatrics (Royal Children's Hospital)Metadata
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Journal ArticleCitations
Franklin, T., Lee, A., Hall, N., Hetrick, S., Ong, J., Haslam, N., Karsz, F. & Vance, A. (2010). The association of visuospatial working memory with dysthymic disorder in pre-pubertal children. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 40 (2), pp.253-261. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291709990365.Access Status
Open AccessDescription
© 2010 Cambridge University Press. Online edition of the journal is available at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=PSM
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) deficits have not been investigated specifically in children with dysthymic disorder (DD), although they are associated with impairments in attention that commonly occur in DD. This study investigates VSWM impairment in children with DD. METHOD: A cross-sectional study of VSWM in 6- to 12-year-old children with medication-naive DD (n=26) compared to an age-, gender- and 'performance IQ' (PIQ)-matched healthy control group (n=28) was completed. RESULTS: The DD group demonstrated impairment in VSWM, including impairment in the spatial span and strategy components of VSWM. Furthermore, the VSWM impairment remained after controlling for spatial span. Inattentive symptoms were significantly associated with the VSWM impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This study of children with DD found deficits in performance on VSWM tasks, suggesting that fronto-striatal-parietal neural networks that underlie processes of attention and the executive component of VSWM are dysfunctional in children with DD. These findings further our understanding of DD and suggest more specific interventions that might improve functioning.
Keywords
attention; children; dysthymic disorder; visuospatial working memoryExport Reference in RIS Format
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