INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 01 Program Schedule 02/14/2024 02:30 pm - 03:45 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 01: Cognitive, Psychotherapeutic, and Psychosocial Intervention/Rehabilitation Final Abstract #53 Preliminary Examination of Attention in Girls and Women with a Fragile X Premutation Allele Shira Russell-Giller, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States Amanda Kenepp, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States Jordan Dickson, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States Cinthia Narciso, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States Nicole Tortora, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States Anne Glicksman, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States Tatyana Adayev, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States Emily Allen, Emory University, Atlanta, United States Lisa Shubeck, Emory University, Atlanta, United States Jessica Hunter, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, United States Veronica Hinton, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States Category: Genetics/Genetic Disorders Keyword 1: attention Keyword 2: fragile X syndrome Keyword 3: genetic neuropsychology Objective: The current study examined attention among females with a fragile X premutation allele (PM). An estimated 1.5 million people in the US have a PM, defined as 55-200 expanded CGG repeats in the X-linked FMR1 gene. There are female-specific findings among adults with a PM, including higher rates of self-reported mental health disorders, including attention problems. Both women and girls with a PM have higher than expected rates of reported attention difficulties but findings on cognitive measures of attention are inconclusive or lacking. The aims of the current study were to examine: 1) whether attention difficulties are present in girls with a PM compared to girls without a PM; and 2) whether there is a worsening of attentional skills over time in females with a PM. Participants and Methods: Girls ages 8 to 12 were identified with a PM (n = 12) or without a PM (n = 15) through routine prenatal screening. Women with a PM (n = 16) ages 25 to 50 were recruited through a pre-existing database. All participants completed the 2-subtest Wechsler Abbreviated Scale Intelligence-II, the Digit Span subtest (from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV), and the Verbal Attention subtest from the Woodcock Johnson-IV Test of Cognitive Abilities. The normative scores of all participants’ Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Digit Span score, and Verbal Attention score were transformed to z-scores and difference scores were calculated between 1) FSIQ and Digit Span and 2) FSIQ and Verbal Attention. Independent t-tests comparing girls with and without a PM and comparing girls with a PM versus women with a PM were performed on Digit Span scaled scores, Verbal Attention standard scores, and the calculated difference scores. Results: Girls with a PM performed significantly lower on the Verbal Attention subtest (M = 104.92, SD = 10.85) compared to girls without a PM (M = 112.20, SD = 9.94; t = -1.82, p = 0.041), though no significant differences were observed for Digit Span (carriers M = 11.08, SD = 2.02; noncarriers M = 11.53, SD = 3.02), or for the difference scores of the FSIQ-Digit Span (carriers M = .49, SD = 1.09; noncarriers M = .76, SD = 1.09) and FSIQ-Verbal Attention (carriers M = .53, SD= 1.11; noncarriers M = .45, SD = 1.09). There were no significant differences between girls and women with a PM for any of the measures. Conclusions: Our findings did not show evidence for significantly worse attention in girls with a PM compared to girls without a PM, with the exception of one attention task, suggesting that attention problems may be more subtle than previous studies have indicated. Additionally, despite reported attention difficulties in women with a PM, our study found no evidence of worsening attentional performance in adulthood. Future studies observing both reported measures and sensitive task-based measures of attention in larger sample sizes are necessary to understand the attentional trajectory across the lifespan of females with a PM.

Poster

02/14/2024
02:30 pm - 03:45 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 01: Cognitive, Psychotherapeutic, and Psychosocial Intervention/Rehabilitation

Final Abstract #53

Preliminary Examination of Attention in Girls and Women with a Fragile X Premutation Allele

Shira Russell-Giller, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States
Amanda Kenepp, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States
Jordan Dickson, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States
Cinthia Narciso, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States
Nicole Tortora, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States
Anne Glicksman, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States
Tatyana Adayev, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, United States
Emily Allen, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
Lisa Shubeck, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
Jessica Hunter, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, United States
Veronica Hinton, Queens College, CUNY, New York, United States

Category: Genetics/Genetic Disorders

Keyword 1: attention
Keyword 2: fragile X syndrome
Keyword 3: genetic neuropsychology

Objective:

The current study examined attention among females with a fragile X premutation allele (PM). An estimated 1.5 million people in the US have a PM, defined as 55-200 expanded CGG repeats in the X-linked FMR1 gene. There are female-specific findings among adults with a PM, including higher rates of self-reported mental health disorders, including attention problems. Both women and girls with a PM have higher than expected rates of reported attention difficulties but findings on cognitive measures of attention are inconclusive or lacking. The aims of the current study were to examine: 1) whether attention difficulties are present in girls with a PM compared to girls without a PM; and 2) whether there is a worsening of attentional skills over time in females with a PM.

Participants and Methods:

Girls ages 8 to 12 were identified with a PM (n = 12) or without a PM (n = 15) through routine prenatal screening. Women with a PM (n = 16) ages 25 to 50 were recruited through a pre-existing database. All participants completed the 2-subtest Wechsler Abbreviated Scale Intelligence-II, the Digit Span subtest (from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV), and the Verbal Attention subtest from the Woodcock Johnson-IV Test of Cognitive Abilities. The normative scores of all participants’ Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Digit Span score, and Verbal Attention score were transformed to z-scores and difference scores were calculated between 1) FSIQ and Digit Span and 2) FSIQ and Verbal Attention. Independent t-tests comparing girls with and without a PM and comparing girls with a PM versus women with a PM were performed on Digit Span scaled scores, Verbal Attention standard scores, and the calculated difference scores.

Results:

Girls with a PM performed significantly lower on the Verbal Attention subtest (M = 104.92, SD = 10.85) compared to girls without a PM (M = 112.20, SD = 9.94; t = -1.82, p = 0.041), though no significant differences were observed for Digit Span (carriers M = 11.08, SD = 2.02; noncarriers M = 11.53, SD = 3.02), or for the difference scores of the FSIQ-Digit Span (carriers M = .49, SD = 1.09; noncarriers M = .76, SD = 1.09) and FSIQ-Verbal Attention (carriers M = .53, SD= 1.11; noncarriers M = .45, SD = 1.09). There were no significant differences between girls and women with a PM for any of the measures.

Conclusions:

Our findings did not show evidence for significantly worse attention in girls with a PM compared to girls without a PM, with the exception of one attention task, suggesting that attention problems may be more subtle than previous studies have indicated. Additionally, despite reported attention difficulties in women with a PM, our study found no evidence of worsening attentional performance in adulthood. Future studies observing both reported measures and sensitive task-based measures of attention in larger sample sizes are necessary to understand the attentional trajectory across the lifespan of females with a PM.