View clinical trials related to Executive Function.
Filter by:This study tests the effectiveness of using a new mobile application (Bingocize®) to improve older adults' (a) adherence to an engaging exercise program, and (b) aspects of functional performance, health knowledge, dietary habits, and cognition.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Organizational Skills Training Program - School based version (OST-S) in a cluster randomized trial. Participating schools will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) an OST-S intervention group and 2) a treatment as usual control group. Participating students (3rd through 5th grade) will be from at least 20 schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and include both urban and suburban schools serving a diverse population. OST-S is a small-group, skills training intervention for children, which includes parent and teacher consultation to support student use of new skills. The program is delivered by school staff who receive training and consultation from intervention experts.
This study seeks to explore whether increased physical activity in school affects children's executive function, aerobic Fitness and childrens self-regulation. The "Active school" study was a 10-month randomized controlled trial. The sample included 449 children (10-11 years old) in five intervention and four control schools. The weekly interventions were 2×45 minutes physically active academic lessons, 5×10 minutes physically active breaks, and 5×10 minutes physically active homework. Aerobic fitness was measured using a 10-minute interval running test. Executive function was tested using four cognitive tests (Stroop, verbal fluency, digit span, and Trail Making). A composite score for executive function was computed and used in analyses. Self-regulation was measured by the Child Behavior Rating Scale.
The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot test a new type of patient-centered, family-based treatment for children aged 8-12 with obesity and their caregivers. The treatment will focus specifically on improving children's self-regulation (SR) skills to help them better manage their feelings, behaviors, and thoughts to help them live a healthier lifestyle.
We plan to examine whether child and parental cognitive/executive function predict body composition outcomes and adherence to a 6-month protocol of Family-Based Behavioral Treatment (FBT), for pediatric obesity. Our objectives are to: (1) examine the effects of parent and child complex cognitive functions on treatment outcomes and adherence in a 6-month FBT program for obesity in a diverse group of children aged 8-12 (total of 16 child-parent pairs), and (2) examine the strength of the relationship between parent and child cognitive function. We hypothesize that children with poorer executive function, and those who have parents with poorer executive function, will have poorer body composition and adherence outcomes.
Each year, approximately 1 child in every 100 is born with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), making it the most common birth defect. With recent medical advances, more children with CHD survive early open-heart surgery, so that there are now 2 to 3 million adult survivors with CHD. These survivors face challenges in terms of their cognitive and behavioral development. For many, the limitations affect their academic achievement, social adaption and, ultimately, their quality of life. Among the most disabling limitations are those that pertain to the ability to maintain attention, plan and organize activities, regulate emotions, and develop problem-solving strategies. Collectively, these are referred to as executive functions (EF) because they are higher-order abilities that enable one to coordinate complex behaviors. Additionally, impaired EF also underlie mental health disorders. In spite of the abundance of evidence that children with CHD struggle with EF, there is little to offer them in the way of evidence-based interventions to prevent or mitigate these problems. The investigators propose to conduct the first randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention, the Cogmed Working Memory Program, in improving the neurodevelopment outcomes of children with critical CHD after infant open-heart surgery. Children who meet eligibility criteria and who agree to participate will be randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Children in the intervention group will complete 25 35-40 minute sessions of Cogmed training, spread over for 5 weeks. This Program is a set of home-based, child-friendly, computerized activities. The control group will receive the standard of care for children with CHD. Children's scores on EF and related neurodevelopmental tests will be evaluated before the intervention group completes Cogmed training, at the conclusion of their training, and 3 months later. The latter assessment will indicate whether any gains in EF skills of the children in the intervention group are sustained after training. Parents and teachers will also complete questionnaires about children's EF, attention, and social behaviors to determine whether training affects behaviors of the intervention group at home and in school. The investigators will also identify the medical and surgical characteristics of children who benefit most from Cogmed training. This information will be helpful in targeting the intervention most efficiently in the future.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new treatment, Unstuck and On Target (UOT), works better, worse, or the same as the best treatment that is available now, Contingency Behavioral Management (CBM), for low income children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Background: environmental influences in the first years of life have a great impact on adulthood. Adequate environmental stimulation in the first years of life positively influence cognitive, emotional and neurological development. Studies show that high quality education for 3 to 6 years old children are cost-effective for diverse outcomes, such as socioemotional and cognitive development, as well as school performance. However, it is not clear why specific types of interventions are most effective on school readiness, an important precursor of literacy status and later life outcomes. Objectives: adapt to the Brazilian context two well-known intervention programs: (1) executive functions training developed by Diamond, and (2) oral language skills based on the Nuffield Programme developed by Snowling and colleagues. Methods: a randomized controlled trial involving 720 children (4 to 5 years old) allocated to three groups: (1) adapted school curriculum focusing on executive functions training, (2) adapted school curriculum focusing on oral language skills training, and (3) regular school curriculum.
Executive dysfunction can profoundly impact all dimensions of a child's development. Impairments in executive function are a central component of the neurodevelopmental phenotype associated with CHD, and manifest as behavioral dysregulation and problems with attention, working memory, and organization/planning abilities. Identifying effective treatment strategies is vital for providing optimal care for these patients. The Cogmed executive function intervention, an evidence-based computerized neurocognitive program, improves outcomes in several pediatric populations. The investigators propose to conduct a pilot study to evaluate its efficacy in reducing morbidities in patients with CHD. This is a single center, single blinded 2-arm randomized controlled trial to test the immediate post-treatment and 3-month follow-up efficacy of Cogmed intervention versus standard of care in adolescents with CHD.
A promising form of enhancing brain function non-invasively involves stimulating the brain using weak magnetic or electric currents. This method is becoming increasingly popular in both clinical and commercial circles; a number of portable, at-home devices are available on the commercial market for personal use. In this study, the investigators aim to determine factors associated with the enhancement of cognitive and motor learning following transcranial direct-current stimulation in healthy young adults. Understanding how participants respond to brain stimulation is critical to maximizing the effectiveness of stimulation and determining its potential as a performance-enhancing aid for mental tasks. Future developments of this study may also inform the capacity of brain stimulation to act as non-drug alternative to treatment for cognitive decline.