Working Memory Impairments in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: The Roles of Anxiety and Stress Physiology.
Ashley F P Sanders, Diana A Hobbs, David D Stephenson and 2 others
PMID 28083777WHAT IT FOUND
Children with 22q11.2DS had higher anxiety and ADHD symptoms, lower IQ scores, and lower shapes working memory scores.
The model linked lower working memory to anxiety, not to stress physiology.
Key findings
01Parents reported more anxiety and ADHD symptoms in children with 22q11.2DS, and these children scored lower on full-scale IQ and the shapes working memory task.
02Children with 22q11.2DS had higher overall cortisol during the task, but stress physiology was not linked to lower working memory in the model.
03In the model, anxiety was linked to lower working memory, and this link was significant even though the direct group difference in working memory was not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The groups were small and unequal, with 20 children with 22q11.2DS and 32 controls, so the study may have missed smaller differences. Anxiety and ADHD were rated by parents, not by the children or another observer, so scores may reflect the parent view. The age range was 7 to 16, so puberty and development were not controlled. The baseline task involved pressing buttons, not resting, so the starting physiological state may have been affected. Medications were not controlled, and some cannot be stopped abruptly, which may have affected physiology or behaviour. State anxiety was not measured, only parent-reported anxiety.
Declared interests
One author reports research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Louisiana Board of Regents, and all authors report no biomedical financial interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that anxiety causes the working memory impairment or that treating anxiety will improve working memory. The study compared groups at one time and tested associations in a model; it did not test any treatment.