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WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — No significant difference in outcomes was observed in children and adolescents with fragile X syndrome (FXS) receiving adaptive versus nonadaptive in-home cognitive training, according to a study published online April 15 in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders<\/i>.<\/p>\n
David Hessl, Ph.D., from the MIND Institute at the University of California Davis Medical Center, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of Cogmed, a computer\/tablet-based working memory (WM) training program for patients with FXS. Participants (63 male and 37 female; mean age, 15.28 years) were randomly assigned to either adaptive (difficulty level adjusted to performance) or nonadaptive (control) Cogmed training. At-home assessments of WM and executive function (EF) were conducted at baseline, following 20 to 25 caregiver-supported sessions over five to six weeks, and at three months following completion of training.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that the WM composite, selective domains of EF (distractibility, cognitive flexibility), and parent- and teacher-reported attention and EF significantly improved across the full study sample. Many of these changes were maintained at follow-up. However, no significant differences were noted in improvement between the two groups, indicating that progressively challenging the WM system by expanding span length did not provide added overall benefit.<\/p>\n
“Future analyses examining inter-individual differences (e.g., baseline capacity, training efficiency, co-morbidity, training environment, characteristics of training aide) may help to link this intervention to outcomes and potential transfer effects,” the authors write.<\/p>\n