The goal of the present study is to understand whether youth with Noonan Syndrome Spectrum Disorder (NSSD) are at increased risk of neurocognitive difficulties when living in resource depleted communities.

Youth (5–17 years; Mage = 9.48 years) with NSSD (n = 140) and unaffected youth (4–15 years; Mage = 9.63 years; n = 85) were included. We ascertained the Child Opportunity Index Health and Environment Index (COI H/E) national-level Z-scores and assessed academic achievement and executive function. Multiple regressions were run to analyze the effects of diagnosis (whether the child had NSSD), COI H/E Z-scores, and diagnosis × COI H/E Z-score interaction on academic achievement (i.e., word reading, math, spelling, and sentence comprehension) and executive skills (i.e., performance-based working memory and processing speed and parent-rated measure of daily executive skills).

Diagnosis was a significant predictor in each model. COI H/E Z-score was a significant predictor of spelling and a marginally significant predictor of sentence comprehension scores. There was a significant diagnosis × COI H/E Z-score interaction for working memory, and marginally significant interactions for spelling and sentence comprehension scores. Higher H/E Z-scores were associated with better working memory in the NSSD group and better academic achievement in the unaffected group.

While the effects of NSSD are large on all assessed domains, there is an additional burden of resource depletion on working memory abilities of youth with NSSD. Academic achievement in the NSSD group was lower than the unaffected group across resource-depleted/enriched environments, demonstrating the profound effects of NSSD on academic functioning.

Predicting suicide risk remains a challenge. We examined whether neurocognitive performance on implicit associations toward suicide, motor speed, response inhibition, and executive functioning predicts suicide attempt and behavior in high-risk psychiatric patients.

Our sample (N = 298) consisted of inpatients (n = 161) and outpatients (n = 83) admitted for a suicide attempt (SA; n = 78), for suicidal ideation (SI; n = 76), or were non-suicidal psychiatric controls (PC; n = 90), and healthy controls (HC; n = 54). Participants were followed for 12 months, with follow-up assessments at 3-, 6-, and 12-months. Neurocognitive tasks were administered at baseline. Clinical symptom measures, suicidality, and electronic health record data were collected at each timepoint. ANCOVA was used to compare groups on neurocognitive performance, and logistic and Cox regressions examined whether neurocognitive performance predicted future actual suicide attempt and suicidal behaviors.

Participants had a mean age of 24.34 years (SD = 3.71). A total of 19 participants made an actual suicide attempt during the study. On neurocognitive tasks at baseline, the SA group had stronger implicit associations with death- and suicide-related words compared to the HC (d = 0.88, p < 0.001) and SI (d = 0.63, p = 0.005) groups and poorer executive functioning than the SI (d = 0.44, p = 0.043) group in multivariate models. Stronger implicit associations with death/suicide predicted higher risk of suicide attempts at the univariate (HR = 1.68 p = 000), but not multivariate level (HR = 1.17 p = 000), while slower motor speed predicted actual suicide attempts (HR = 1.81 p = 000) at the multivariate level.

Slower motor speed predicts actual suicide attempt and may help identify psychiatric patients who are at high risk for suicidal behavior.

The term ‘schizo-obsessive comorbidity (SOC)’ is used to describe the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in patients with schizophrenia (SOC). Recent studies have found overlapped executive dysfunctions in SCZ and OCD implicating shared pathophysiology. However, specific deficits in the components of executive function (EF) in patients with SOC remains unclear.

We recruited 37 patients with SOC, 68 patients with SCZ, 70 patients with OCD, and 59 healthy controls (HCs). All participants completed a battery of measures for EF components, namely initiation, sustained attention, online updating, switching, disinhibition, and planning. Apart from traditional group-mean analysis, we applied machine learning approaches to identify the unique patterns of EF among different clinical groups.

The results showed that the three clinical groups could be distinguished from HCs. The feature importance analysis showed that, to classify clinical groups from HC, online updating was the core feature of SCZ patients, whereas disinhibition and online updating jointly determine classification between OCD patients and HC. In differentiating SOC from HC, online updating, planning, and disinhibition collectively served as key features. Machine learning algorithms classified SOC and OCD with acceptable performance but classified SOC and SCZ with lower performance.

Deficits of EF are shared features among patients with SOC, SCZ, and OCD. However, the specific components of executive dysfunction in these clinical groups appeared distinct.

Self-regulation is central to adolescent emotional and cognitive development, and deficits in self-regulation may associate with depression and anxiety. This scoping review maps the use of the Emotional Go/No-Go (EGNG), Delay Discounting Task (DDT), and Balloon Analogue Risk Task and Youth version (BART) in studies of adolescent depression and anxiety, examines consistency of task implementation, and identifies methodological and geographic gaps.

A PRISMA-ScR–compliant search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and PsycINFO from database inception to 15 December 2025 (initial search: 1 December 2023; updated: 15 December 2025). Data were charted using a standardised form. Eligible studies included adolescents, employed EGNG, DDT, or BART, and assessed depressive or anxiety symptoms.

Thirty reports were included (EGNG n = 21; DDT n = 3; BART n = 6). Twenty-six studies (87%) were conducted in high-income countries and 24 (80%) were English language. Twenty-two studies were cross-sectional (EGNG n = 18/21; DDT n = 2/3; BART n = 2/6); five employed longitudinal designs, and two employed experimental manipulations. Fourteen studies (47%) reported significant task performance associations with depression or anxiety (EGNG n = 8/21; DDT n = 2/3; BART n = 4/6); the remaining studies reported no significant associations. The directionality of associations differed across study populations and methodologies.

The current literature is concentrated in English-speaking higher-income contexts and has yielded few and inconsistent associations with adolescent depression and anxiety. Future research should harmonise protocols, expand evidence from low- and middle-income settings, and increase longitudinal and intervention-based studies to assess sensitivity to change and clinical utility.

Studies have shown that klotho, a neuroprotective protein, plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment. However, its association with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, remains uncertain.

To elucidate klotho levels in adolescents with ADHD and to clarify its association with executive function.

The present study enrolled 92 adolescents (mean approximate age 14 years) diagnosed with ADHD and 80 age-matched healthy adolescents. All participants had their klotho levels measured and underwent the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); their parents fulfilled the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham IV (SNAP-IV) scale and the Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP).

Results from generalised linear models (GLMs), with adjustments for age, gender, body mass index, clinical symptoms (SNAP-IV and CBCL-DP scores) and ADHD medication use, indicated that adolescents with ADHD had significantly lower klotho levels (P = 0.044) and performed worse on WCST (P = 0.027) compared with healthy adolescents. The GLMs further indicated a negative association between klotho levels and the percentage of non-perseverative errors on WCST (P = 0.002).

Klotho may serve as a novel biomarker of ADHD and play a key role in ADHD-related executive dysfunction.

This study aimed to investigate the differences on cognitive performance across four cognitive domains – verbal memory, language fluency, visuospatial ability and cognitive inhibition – between drospirenone and ethinyl oestradiol (DRSP/EE) users and naturally cycling women in the luteal phase (LP). The goal was to determine whether hormonal suppression associated with DRSP/EE use is linked to domain-specific cognitive alterations.

A total of 48 young adult women were assessed: 23 using DRSP/EE (with pharmacologically suppressed endogenous hormonal levels) and 25 naturally cycling during the LP. Participants completed standardised neuropsychological tasks measuring verbal memory, language fluency, visuospatial ability and cognitive inhibition. Group comparisons analyses were conducted.

Significant group differences were observed in verbal memory, visuospatial ability and cognitive inhibition, while no significant group differences were found in language fluency. Women using DRSP/EE showed significantly lower performance in verbal memory (U = 165, p = 0.009, r = 0.38) and visuospatial ability (U = 155, p = 0.006, r = 0.40) tasks compared to naturally cycling women. In contrast, they demonstrated higher performance in cognitive inhibition, quantified by a significantly higher Stroop interference score (t(46) = 2.710, p = 0.009, d = 0.783).

The present findings suggest that the use of DRSP/EE oral contraceptives is associated with differences across specific cognitive domains compared to naturally cycling women in the LP. The observed pattern – lower performance in hippocampus-related domains (verbal memory and visuospatial ability) paired with higher performance on a frontal-lobe-dependent task (cognitive inhibition) – is consistent with existing evidence suggesting that suppression of endogenous ovarian hormones may differentially influence cognitive functions. These behavioural associations underscore the need for further domain-specific research into the long-term cognitive implications of combined oral contraceptives.

Neurocognitive assessment is an essential research instrument for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as the clinical manifestations are rooted in diverse neurocognitive processes that cause variation in clinical presentation. Few instruments comprehensively capture relevant neurocognitive domains, and most require professional assessors. The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB) is widely used in child and adolescent psychiatry research across cultures. This study adapted and validated the CNB for a clinical ASD cohort in Hong Kong.

In this Hong Kong version of the CNB (CNB-HK), thirteen cognitive tasks were translated and adapted, with one task for sensorimotor speed and twelve belonging to four specific domains (episodic memory, social cognition, complex cognition, and executive function). The CNB-HK was administered to 636 normal-IQ children with ASD (mean age: 8.4 years, 87.1% male) and 412 children without ASD (mean age: 8.6 years, 55.1% male). Factor structure was examined using factor analyses.

The CNB-HK had high feasibility for children with ASD, with <7% invalid data across all tasks. The original four-factor and bi-factor structures were replicated with good model fit, and partial scalar invariance was achieved between children with and without ASD. The factor scores correlated positively with estimated IQ in the ASD group. The ASD group had worse performance across all four cognitive domains and the g factor compared to the group without ASD.

The CNB-HK is a valid, multi-domain cognitive assessment tool for children with ASD in Hong Kong, offering a feasible and reliable approach for research and clinical settings.

While psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety) are well-established predictors of suicidal ideation (SI) in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), the roles of other psychological and cognitive factors remain underexplored. This study examined associations between SI and emotion-processing difficulties, coping strategies, psychological resilience, and cognitive functioning after moderate–severe TBI.

This was a secondary analysis of data from 106 individuals with moderate–severe TBI. SI and emotional distress were assessed using the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively. Participants also completed measures of emotional lability and detachment (Comprehensive Assessment of Traits Relevant to Personality Disorders [CAT-PD]), coping (Coping Scale for Adults), psychological resilience (Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale), and cognitive functioning, including subjective (CAT-PD, Brief Rating of Executive Function) and objective measures (Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone). Spearman’s correlations and path models were used to examine psychological and cognitive correlates of SI.

SI was positively associated with emotional lability, emotional detachment, non-productive coping, and self-reported cognitive problems, and negatively associated with resilience. Path models indicated that emotional distress accounted for 76–100% of these associations. Conversely, SI was not significantly associated with adaptive coping or objective cognitive performance.

Emotion-processing difficulties, non-productive coping strategies, low resilience, and self-reported cognitive problems are linked to SI in individuals with moderate–severe TBI, primarily through their associations with emotional distress. Findings underscore the importance of addressing emotional distress, including depression and anxiety, and its underlying contributors in suicide prevention for this population.

Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits are associated with cognitive function, however, biological pathways accounting for these relations are not well understood. Here, we examined associations between individual FFM traits (self- and informant-reported) and cognitive function (episodic memory, executive control, and working memory), and the indirect effect of a latent index of cardiometabolic risk (composed of adiposity, glycemic control, blood pressure, blood lipids, and inflammation) in a midlife sample.

Participants included 856 volunteers (M = 44.6 ± 6.9 years, range: 30 – 54; Female 54%; Caucasian 85%) from the Adult Health and Behavior (AHAB) registry. Structural equation models were used to: (1) regress cognitive performance on FFM traits and (2) test indirect effects of cardiometabolic risk. Age, sex, and race were included as covariates in all models.

Lower Neuroticism, higher Openness, and higher Agreeableness were significantly associated with better performance in each cognitive domain, and higher Conscientiousness was associated with better working memory. Associations between these traits and executive control were accounted for by a significant indirect effect of lower cardiometabolic risk, and in component-specific analyses, by indirect effects of adiposity and systemic inflammation.

Overall, FFM personality traits were associated with multiple domains of cognitive performance, which, in the case of executive control, was partially explained by differences in cardiometabolic risk. Future investigations should examine whether these pathways account for longitudinal change in cognition.

The ability to efficiently complete everyday tasks was evaluated with a novel, performance-based test called the Virtual Kitchen Challenge (VKC) in college athletes. Analyses focused on the effect of practice and associations between the VKC and conventional measures of cognition.

81 college athletes with and without self-reported concussion completed conventional cognitive tests and the VKC, a nonimmersive virtual-reality task that requires manipulating virtual objects on a touch screen to prepare a breakfast and lunch under two conditions: 1) Training condition with feedback and 2) Test condition without feedback. VKC performance was scored for completion time, percent of time working on-screen, number of interactions with target and distractor objects. Paired t-tests compared VKC Training and Test conditions, correlations examined relations between VKC performance and cognitive tests.

VKC performance was significantly better after practice, as noted by faster completion time, fewer screen interactions, and a higher proportion of time spent on-screen during Test vs. Training conditions. Interactions with distractors were too infrequent for analyses. Correlations showed VKC Training was associated with episodic memory abilities whereas VKC Test scores were associated with executive function. VKC scores did not differ between participants with versus without concussion.

The VKC is a promising portable performance-based measure of subtle functional difficulties for young, high-functioning participants. The VKC automated scoring makes it highly efficient for large studies and clinical settings.

We investigated differences in cognition between variants of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) including PSP-Richardson (PSP-RS) and subcortical and cortical variants using updated diagnostic criteria and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.

We recruited 140 participants with PSP (age = 71.3 ± 6.9 years; education = 15.0 ± 2.8 years; 49.3% female) who completed neurological and neuropsychological assessment. Participants received diagnoses of PSP clinical variants at their evaluation (or retrospectively if evaluated before 2017) according to the Movement Disorder Society PSP criteria. We grouped variants as PSP-RS (62 participants), PSP-Cortical (25 with PSP-speech/language and 9 with PSP-corticobasal syndrome), and PSP-Subcortical (27 with PSP-parkinsonism, 11 with PSP-progressive gait freezing, and 6 with PSP-postural instability). Analysis of covariance adjusted for age assessed for differences in neuropsychological performance between variants across cognitive domains.

PSP-Cortical participants performed worst on measures of visual attention/working memory (Spatial Span Forward/Backward/Total), executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery), and language (Letter Fluency). PSP-RS participants performed worst on verbal memory (Camden Words). There were no significant group differences for the MoCA or indices of visuospatial function. There were no sex or education differences between PSP groups; however, there were differences in age at visit and disease duration.

In a large sample of participants with PSP, there were differences in cognition across PSP-RS, PSP-Subcortical, and PSP-Cortical variants, with PSP-Cortical and, to a lesser extent, PSP-RS, performing worse on tests of attention and executive function. These findings suggest cognitive distinctions among PSP clinical variants and highlight the value of neuropsychological assessment in differential diagnosis of PSP subtypes for more accurate and timely clinical classification.

This study examined three neurocognitive patterns or “clinical pearls” historically viewed as evidence for executive dysfunction in Parkinson disease (PD): 1) letter < category fluency; 2) word list < story delayed recall; 3) word list delayed recall < recognition. The association between intraindividual magnitudes of each neuropsychological pattern and individual performance on traditional executive function tests was examined.

A clinical sample of 772 individuals with PD underwent neuropsychological testing including tests of verbal fluency, word list/story recall, recognition memory, and executive function. Raw scores were demographically normed (Heaton) and converted to z-scores for group-level analyses.

Letter fluency performance was worse than category fluency (d = −0.12), with 28% of participants showing a discrepancy of ≥ −1.0 SD. Delayed recall of a list was markedly poorer than story recall (d = −0.86), with 52% of the sample exhibiting ≥ −1.0 SD deficits. Lastly, delayed free recall was worse than recognition memory (d = −0.25), with 24% showing a discrepancy of ≥ −1.0 SD. These patterns did not consistently correlate with executive function scores. The word list < story recall pattern was more common in earlier than later PD stages and durations.

Among the three pearls, the most pronounced was stronger memory performance on story recall than word lists, observed in more than half the sample. Only ¼ the participants exhibited all three neurocognitive patterns simultaneously. The variability in patterns across individuals highlights the heterogeneity of cognitive impairment in PD and suggests that intra-individual comparisons may offer a more nuanced insight into cognitive functioning.

Despite recent attention to the increased risk of cognitive impairment in older adults with essential tremor (ET), there are only limited data on the trajectories of cognitive change in ET or the demographic and motor predictors of such change.

This study included 148 cognitively normal individuals with ET (mean age = 76.7 ± 9.7 years) at baseline and had at least one follow-up evaluation (mean years of observation = 5.2 ± 1.6). Generalized Estimating Equations examined rates of change in six composite cognitive outcomes as a function of time, as well as demographic (age, sex, and education) and motor predictors (tremor severity, age of tremor onset, presence of rest tremor, cranial tremor, intention tremor, tandem gait) of rates of change. Demographics, medication use, and mood symptoms at baseline were covariates for all models.

Participants evidenced a decline in global cognition, executive function, and attention (prange = <0.001–0.044) over time. Older age predicted faster decline in all cognitive outcomes except attention (prange =<0.001–0.025). Tremor severity predicted faster decline in executive function (p = 0.011). Rest tremor predicted faster decline in executive function and attention (p = 0.033, 0.017). Tandem gait missteps predicted faster decline in memory and visuospatial ability (p = 0.026, 0.028).

Results point to a dissociation in the predictive value of different motor features for specific aspects of cognitive decline. These results shed light on the earliest manifestations of cognitive impairment in older adults with ET and implicate different pathways by which heterogeneous cognitive changes emerge.