Education Faculty, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Levinsky College of Education, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 10;14(1):23738. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74815-5.
This cross-sectional study examined the cognitive performance of crystallized intelligence (Gc) and fluid intelligence (Gf) in 340 individuals, comparing adults (aged 22-45) to adolescents (aged 16-21) in two groups of etiologies. Down syndrome (DS) and non-specific intellectual disability (NSID). The aim was to estimate whether their cognitive performance reflected accelerated, stable, or continuous trajectories. Participants were assessed using the Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design, and Raven Matrix tests. ANOVA analysis indicated that adults exhibited higher scores than adolescents on three of the crystallized and fluid intelligence tests, with similar trends observed in the Raven Matrix test, thus supporting the Compensation Age Theory. Participants with NSID exhibited higher scores in Vocabulary than participants with DS. Participants with DS exhibited higher scores in Block Design and Raven than participants with NSID. There was no difference between the groups in Similarities, suggesting that the verbal ability of individuals with DS is not so impaired relative to participants with NSID. Graph analysis demonstrated divergent Gc-Gf networks between the two groups of etiologies. The DS etiology revealed more coherent connections between crystallized and fluid intelligence, especially in adulthood, compared to the diffuse and absent connections seen in adults with NSID. Thus, the relative strength in Similarities and the more coherent Gc-Gf interconnections in the DS etiology suggested a more coherent and not-so-impaired profile in a clear diagnostic etiology such as DS, especially in adulthood, compared to unclear genetic etiologies such as NSID. The findings hold educational implications for adults with ID with and without Down syndrome at least until their 40's as a time for growth and development, perhaps serving as a protective factor against possible cognitive decline in the future.
本横断面研究考察了 340 名个体的晶体智力（Gc）和流体智力（Gf）的认知表现，将 22-45 岁的成年人与 16-21 岁的青少年分为两组，比较了两种病因的认知表现。唐氏综合征（DS）和非特异性智力障碍（NSID）。目的是估计他们的认知表现是否反映了加速、稳定或连续的轨迹。参与者使用词汇、相似性、积木设计和瑞文矩阵测试进行评估。方差分析表明，在三个晶体和流体智力测试中，成年人的得分高于青少年，瑞文矩阵测试也存在类似的趋势，这支持了补偿年龄理论。非特异性智力障碍组的词汇得分高于唐氏综合征组。唐氏综合征组在积木设计和瑞文测试中的得分高于非特异性智力障碍组。相似性测试中两组之间没有差异，这表明唐氏综合征患者的言语能力相对于非特异性智力障碍患者没有那么受损。图形分析显示，两种病因组的 Gc-Gf 网络存在差异。与非特异性智力障碍组相比，唐氏综合征组在晶体智力和流体智力之间显示出更一致的连接，尤其是在成年期，而在非特异性智力障碍组中则显示出弥散和不存在的连接。因此，唐氏综合征病因组在相似性方面的相对优势以及 Gc-Gf 之间更一致的相互联系表明，在明确的诊断病因（如唐氏综合征）中，个体的认知表现更为一致，且受损程度较轻，尤其是在成年期，而在不明确的遗传病因（如非特异性智力障碍）中则表现出弥散和不存在的连接。这些发现对至少 40 岁以下的唐氏综合征和非唐氏综合征 ID 成年患者具有教育意义，因为这是他们成长和发展的时期，可能成为未来认知能力下降的保护因素。
