The University of Alabama, Department of Psychology, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0348, USA.
The University of Alabama, Department of Psychology, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0348, USA.
Res Dev Disabil. 2021 Jan;108:103802. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103802. Epub 2020 Dec 16.
Executive function (EF) refers to a set of cognitive processes involved in goal-oriented behavior-especially inhibition, attention shifting, and working memory. EF has been identified as a probable area of difficulty in Down syndrome (DS), but the exact nature of the difficulty has not been well-established.
The meta-analysis sought to confirm or disconfirm EF as an area of difficulty in DS and elucidate an EF profile.
A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted on 57 studies that compared a group with DS to a typically developing (TD) mental age matched group on one or more executive function tasks. Heterogeneity was examined and moderators analyzed.
The overall mean weighted effect size was large (d = -0.87), indicating poorer EF in groups with DS vs TD groups. Heterogeneity was significant, and moderator analysis revealed an EF profile with a very large effect for verbal WM/STM, a large effect for shifting, and moderate effects for inhibition and nonverbal WM/STM. Skewness analysis suggested that mean effect sizes might have been dampened, especially for WM/STM and shifting.
Individuals with DS display a pronounced difficulty in EFs; implications for interventions and future research are discussed.
执行功能（EF）是指一套涉及目标导向行为的认知过程，特别是抑制、注意力转移和工作记忆。EF 已被确定为唐氏综合征（DS）可能存在困难的领域，但确切的困难性质尚未得到很好的确定。
这项荟萃分析旨在确认或否定 EF 是 DS 中的一个困难领域，并阐明 EF 特征。
对 57 项研究进行了随机效应荟萃分析，这些研究将一组 DS 患者与一组具有典型发育（TD）心理年龄匹配的对照组在一项或多项执行功能任务上进行了比较。检查了异质性并分析了调节因素。
总体而言，加权效应量的平均值较大（d=-0.87），表明 DS 组的 EF 较差。异质性显著，调节分析显示 EF 特征表现为言语工作记忆/短期记忆的非常大效应、转移的大效应以及抑制和非言语工作记忆/短期记忆的中等效应。偏度分析表明，平均效应量可能被削弱，尤其是对于 WM/STM 和转移。
DS 患者在执行功能方面表现出明显的困难；讨论了干预措施和未来研究的意义。
