Executive functions in intellectual disabilities: a comparison between Williams syndrome and down syndrome.
Abstract
Executive functions are a set of high cognitive abilities that control and regulate other functions and behaviors and are crucial for successful adaptation. Deficits in executive functions are frequently described in developmental disorders, which are characterized by disadaptive behavior. However, executive functions are not widely examined in individuals with intellectual disability. The present study is aimed at evaluating the etiological specificity hypotheses pertaining to executive functions by comparing individuals with intellectual disability of different etiology, as Williams syndrome and Down syndrome, on different aspects of executive functions. To this aim a battery evaluating attention, short-term and working memory, planning, categorization, shifting and inhibition, was administered to 15 children, adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome, to 15 children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome and to 16 mental-age-matched typically developing children. The two groups with intellectual disability showed impairment in a set of executive functions, as auditory sustained attention, visual selective attention, visual categorization and working memory, and preserved visual sustained attention, auditory selective attention and visual inhibition. However, a distinctive profile has been found between the two syndromic groups on other executive functions. While participants with Down syndrome were poor in shifting and verbal aspects of memory and inhibition, those…
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The intellectual disability in Down syndrome presents with predominant deficits in executive functioning and memory.
“It presents as a range of impairments including predominant deficits in executive functioning and memory (Vicari et al., 2005, 2000; Lanfranchi et al., 2010; Costanzo et al., 2013; Grieco et al., 2015).”
From Neurodevelopment in Down syndrome: Concordance in humans and models (2022) · cites this paper as Costanzo et al., 2013
Cites
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“They encompass strategic planning, flexibility of thought and action (shifting), inhibition of inappropriate responses, generation of new responses (fluency) and concurrent remembering and processing (working memory) (Friedman et al., 2006; Pennington & Ozonoff, 1996).”
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Nyongesa, M. K., Ssewanyana, D., Mutua, A. M., Chongwo, E., Scerif, G., Newton, C. R. J. C., & Abubakar, A. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00311 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Altered Hippocampal-Prefrontal Neural Dynamics in Mouse Models of Down Syndrome
Chang, P., Bush, D., Schorge, S., Good, M., Canonica, T., Shing, N., Noy, S., Wiseman, F. K., Burgess, N., Tybulewicz, V. L. J., et al. (2020) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.065 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Neurodevelopment in Down syndrome: Concordance in humans and models
Klein, J. A., & Haydar, T. F. (2022) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2022.941855 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
“The impairments in executive functioning include deficits in attention, inhibition, planning and organization, setshifting, and self-monitoring, all of which are critical categories of intellectual function needed for independent living (Cornish et al., 2007; Abbeduto et al., 2008; Trezise et al., 2008; Lanfranchi et…”
Background
- Authors
- Costanzo, F., Varuzza, C., Menghini, D., Addona, F., Gianesini, T., & Vicari, S.
- Affiliations
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IT)
- Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Vicari, Stefano
- Venue
- Research in Developmental Disabilities
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-05
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1770-1780
- ISSN
- 0891-4222 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2091318908
- Cited by
- 200
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 4.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Research in Developmental Disabilities (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Williams Syndrome Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Keywords
- executive function, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, attention, working memory, short-term memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, categorization, cognitive development
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Child, Cognition, Down Syndrome, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Intellectual Disability, Neuropsychological Tests, Williams Syndrome, Young Adult, Executive Function
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