We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Spanish government through its Plan Nacional I+D+i (R+D+i National Research Plan, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), project ref: PET2008_0225, with the second author as principal investigator; and CONICYT-Chile [FONDECYT REGULAR N&#186; 1191589], with the first author as principal investigator. We also thank the Unidad de Audiovisuales ULL team for their participation in the production of the video.

This protocol was conducted in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Comit&#233; de &#201;tica de la Investigaci&#243;n y Bienestar Animal (Research Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee, CEIBA), Universidad de La Laguna.
NOTE: The Bater&#237;a multimedia para la evaluaci&#243;n de habilidades cognitivas y b&#225;sicas en matem&#225;ticas [Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)]61 was developed using Unity 2.0 Professional Edition and the SQLITE Database Engine. BM-PROMA includes 12&#160;subtests: 8 to assess domain-specific skills and 4 to evaluate domain-general processes. For each subtest, provide instructions orally by an animated humanoid robot and precede the testing phase with a demonstration and two training trials. The application protocol for each task is presented below with an example.
1. Experimental setup
<ol>
	<li>Use the following inclusion criteria: children in primary education between second and sixth grade; native speakers of Spanish.</li>
	<li>Use the following exclusion criteria: children with a history of neurological,intellectual, or sensory deficits.</li>
	<li>Install the Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics. BM-PROMA is distributed using a single file. This file is an automated installer that allows the user to select the installation destination. The installer detects previous versions of the tool and warns the user about possible data loss due to overwriting. The installation creates shortcuts in the Windows &#39;Start&#39; menu. Additionally, the installer provides a batch file (known as a .bat file in Windows) to automate the database backup process. The tool runs in full screen mode at a resolution of 800x600 pixels. The tool cannot run in windowed mode.
	<ol>
		<li>Before a student can be assessed, add their data to the student database. Once the child has been registered, select them by clicking on the relevant entry in the student list. Tasks are selected at random by the examiner or the child. Tasks begin as soon as the examiner or the child clicks on them. When the task is complete, the tool returns to the task selection menu. Tasks completed by the student are no longer visible in the menu. Once the session has begun, there are no breaks between tasks.</li>
		<li>Test children grades 2 and&#160;3&#160;&#160;in three half hour sessions and children grades 4 to 6 in two 45-minute sessions. Hold the sessions on different days. Administer the BM-PROMA in a quiet room. Have students use a headset to listen to the instructions and to record their oral responses; the examiner also uses headphones to monitor the tasks. In some cases, the examiner must record the outcome of the task using the mouse; in others, the student uses the mouse to complete the task and responses are recorded automatically.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Demonstration and training trials.For all tasks, precede the test stage with instructions (the robot orally presents the instructions for the task), modelling (the robot models the task step by step with an example), and practice trials (children are allowed up to two practice trials with feedback).</li>
</ol>
2. Domain-specific subtests
<ol>
	<li>Missing number (Figure 1)
	<ol>
		<li>In this task, ask children to name the missing number from a series of 4 single- and two-digit numbers presented horizontally.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say the following: &#34;In this game, you have to say aloud the name of the missing number: two, four, six, eight, and (pause) ten. So, the missing number is ten. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Present a total of 18 series: 6 in numerically ascending order (the numbers in the series increase in value as a given magnitude is added to the previous number), 6 in numerically descending order (the numbers in the series decrease in value as a given magnitude is subtracted from the previous number), and 6 in numerically hierarchical ascending order (more than one arithmetic operation is needed to solve them, in this case, multiplication and addition). The examiner uses the mouse buttons to record whether the answer is correct.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the total number of correct responses.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Two-digit number comparison (Figure 2)
	<ol>
		<li>In this task, present 40 pairs of two-digit numbers on the computer screen.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, look carefully at these two numbers. You must choose the biggest number. To do so, you must compare the two numbers and say aloud the name of the biggest one. Look at these two numbers. Thirty-seven is bigger than twenty-one. So, I will say /thirty-seven/. Try to complete the task as quickly as possible without getting it wrong. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Require children to say aloud the numerically larger of each pair. A voice key registered the child&#39;s reaction time (RT), after which the examiner used the mouse buttons to record whether the answer was correct. 
		NOTE: Following previous studies62,63, unit-decade compatibility (compatible vs. incompatible) and decade and unit distance (small [1-3] vs. large [4-8]) were manipulated.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the RT of those stimuli that were solved correctly.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Reading numbers (Figure 3)
	<ol>
		<li>Present 30 Arabic numbers (10 single-digit numbers, 10 two-digit numbers, and 10 three-digit numbers) one at a time on the computer screen.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to name aloud the numbers that appear on the screen. Look at this number. Here you have to say /twelve/, because that is the name of the number on the screen. Try to complete the task as quickly as possible without getting it wrong. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Ask the child to read them aloud as quickly as possible without making mistakes. A voice key registered the child&#39;s RT, after which the examiner used the mouse buttons to record whether the answer was correct.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the RT of those stimuli that were read correctly.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Place value (Figure 4)
	<ol>
		<li>Measure the students&#39; knowledge of the Arabic number system. Display 12 two-digit Arabic numbers in the center of the computer screen, with one answer option located in each corner of the screen (four options in total). Each option was a quantity represented by tiny blocks of units and blocks of tens (ten units grouped into a single block). For each item, only one of the four options was correct. The incorrect options were made up of representations that coincided with the correct option in a) the ten; b) the unit; or c) both the ten and the unit, but reversed (e.g., for the number &#34;15&#34;, the incorrect options represented 12, 35 and 51).</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, we have a number and four pictures. You have to click on the picture that represents the number correctly. I will choose the first one, because the bar equals a ten, and the squares equal five units. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based the total number of correct responses.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Number line 0-100 and 0-1000 tasks (Figure 5) 
	NOTE: Use computerized adaptations of the paper-and-pencil original64.
	<ol>
		<li>In this task, have children position a given number on a 15-cm number line using the computer mouse. For the first 20 items, the value at the left end of the line was 0 and the value at the right end was 100. For the following 22 items, the value at the right end was 1000.</li>
		<li>Present the following items on the 0-100 line: 2, 3, 7, 11, 14, 18, 23, 37, 41, 45, 56, 60, 67, 71, 75, 86, 89, 91, 95 and 99.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to put the number where you think it should go. Look at this line. It starts at zero and ends at one hundred. You have to put number fifty here. To do so, click and hold on the red line under the number and drag it to the correct place. Do you know why I dropped the number here? It is in the middle, because fifty is half of one hundred. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Following the original task, oversample the numbers at the low end of the distribution, with 7 numbers between 0 and 30. The items presented for the 0-1000 line were: 2, 11, 67, 99, 106, 162, 221, 325, 388, 450, 492, 511, 591, 643, 677, 755, 799, 815, 867, 910 and 988. Values below 100 were oversampled, as in the aforementioned study.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the absolute value of the percentage error (|Estimate - Estimated Quantity / Scale of Estimates|).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Arithmetic fact retrieval (Figure 6)
	<ol>
		<li>Ask children to solve 66 single-digit arithmetic problems, consisting of 24 additions, 24 multiplications, and 18 subtractions presented in separate blocks. Exclude tie problems (e.g., 3+3) and problems containing 0 or 1 as operand or answer.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to solve the computations in your head. In the first one, the correct answer is three. Solve the task in silence and tell me the answer aloud. Try to solve the task as quickly as possible without getting it wrong. Now, try it on your own.</li>
		<li>Present problems one at a time horizontally on the computer screen. Responses were verbal. A voice key registered the child&#39;s RT, after which the examiner used the mouse buttons to record whether the answer was correct.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the RT of those stimuli that were solved correctly.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Arithmetic principles (Figure 7)
	<ol>
		<li>Present 24 pairs of related two-digit operations (12 pairs of additions and 12 pairs of multiplications). In each pair, one item was solved correctly and the other was unsolved (e.g., 5+5=10&#160;&#8594; 5+6=?).</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to say aloud the result of the second operation. Look carefully at both computations. The first one has already been solved, but the second one still needs to be solved. Five plus five equals ten, then five plus six equals eleven. When I tell you to start, solve the task in silence and then say the answer aloud. Try to solve the task as quickly as possible without getting it wrong. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Ask children to say aloud the result of the unsolved operation. A voice key registered the child&#39;s reaction time (RT), after which the examiner used the mouse buttons to record whether the answer was correct.</li>
		<li>Calculate the score based on the RT of those stimuli that were solved correctly.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
3. Domain-general subtests
<ol>
	<li>Counting span (Figure 8) 
	NOTE: This task is an adaptation of the Working Memory-Counting task65.
	<ol>
		<li>Have the children count aloud the number of yellow dots on a series of cards with yellow and blue dots. Ask them to recall the number of yellow dots on each card in the set.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, we have some cards. Each card has blue and yellow dots. You have to count and remember the number of yellow dots on each card. First, we are going to count how many yellow dots there are on the first card. There are two yellow dots on the card. Then we will count all the yellow dots on the second card. There are eight yellow dots on the card. Now, as there were two yellow dots on the first card and eight yellow dots on the second card, you have to say aloud the numbers two and eight. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Increase set length from 2 to 5 cards and give the children three attempts to move to the next level of difficulty. The examiner uses the mouse buttons to record whether the answer is correct.</li>
		<li>End the test when a child fails to correctly recall two sets at a given difficulty level.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Rapid Automatized Naming - Letter (RAN-L) (Figure 9) 
	NOTE: This task is an adaptation of the technique called Rapid Automatized Naming66. RAN-L consists of a series of five letters presented in five rows and 10 columns on the computer screen.
	<ol>
		<li>Ask the child to name the letters as quickly as possible from left to right and from top to bottom. Provide ten practice items in a chart consisting of two rows and five columns.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to name the letters that appear on the screen. It does not matter if they are repeated. So, we have to say: /a/, /c/, /v/, /n/, /a/, /n/, /c/, /c/, /v/, /v/. Try to name the letters as quickly as possible from left to right and from top to bottom. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>Use the time spent to name all 50 letters as the score. To normalize the score distribution, convert the scores to the number of letters per minute.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Visuospatial working memory (Figure 10) 
	NOTE: This task is a computerized adaptation of the Corsi block-tapping task67.
	<ol>
		<li>Show a 3x3 board in the center of the screen. In each trial, sequentially flash certain blocks on and off.</li>
		<li>Ask the child to repeat the sequence in the correct order by clicking on the blocks that had changed color. In 50% of cases, ask them to do so in the same order, and in the other 50% in reverse order.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you will see that some of the squares light up. You have to remember which squares lit up and the order in which they did so. Then you have to press the squares in the same order to repeat the sequence. Now, watch carefully and press the squares in the same order&#34;.</li>
		<li>Increase the trials in length from 2 to 5 blocks. Give the children three attempts to move to the next level of difficulty.</li>
		<li>End the test when a child failed to correctly recall two sets at a given difficulty level. The examiner uses the mouse buttons to record whether the answer is correct. Calculate the scores based on the number of correct answers given.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Phoneme deletion 
	NOTE: This task included 15 two-syllable words: five with consonant-vowel (CV) first syllable structure, five with consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) first syllable structure, and five with consonant-consonant-vowel (CCV) first syllable structure.
	<ol>
		<li>Say a word to the child and have them repeat it, omitting the first sound.</li>
		<li>Have the robot say &#34;In this game, you have to remove the first sound of each word. If you hear the word /tarde/ (late), you have to remove the sound /t/. So, you will say /arde/. Now, try it on your own&#34;.</li>
		<li>The examiner uses the mouse buttons to record whether the answer is correct. Calculate the score based on the total number of correct responses.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

The authors listed above certify there are no financial interests or other conflicts of interest associated with the present study.

Children with MLD are at risk not only of academic failure but also of psycho-emotional and health disorders8,9 and, later on, of employment deprivation4,5. Thus, it is crucial to diagnose MLD promptly in order to provide the educational support that these children need. However, diagnosing MLD is complex due to the multiple domain-specific and domain-general skill deficits that underlie the disorder<sup ...

One of the crucial objectives of primary education is the acquisition of mathematical skills. This knowledge is highly relevant, as we all use mathematics in our everyday lives, for example, to calculate change given at the supermarket1,2. As such, the consequences of poor mathematical performance go beyond the academic. At the social level, a strong prevalence of poor mathematical performance within the population constitutes a cost to society. There is evidence that improvement of poor numerical skills in the population leads to significant savings for a country3. There are also negative consequences at an individual level. For example, those who show a low level of mathematical skills present poor professional development (e.g., higher rates of employment in poorly paid manual occupations and higher unemployment)4,5,6, frequently report negative socio-emotional responses towards academics (e.g., anxiety, low motivation towards academics)7, 8, and tend to present poorer mental and physical health than their peers with average mathematical achievement9. Students with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) show very poor performance that persists over time10,11,12. As such, they are more likely to suffer the consequences mentioned above, especially if these are not promptly diagnosed13.
MLD is a neurobiological disorder characterized by severe impairment in terms of learning basic numerical skills despite adequate intellectual capacity and schooling14. Although this definition is widely accepted, the instruments and criteria for its identification are still under discussion15. An excellent illustration of the absence of a universal agreement regarding MLD diagnosis is the variety of reported prevalence rates, ranging from 3 to 10%16,17,18,19,20,21. This difficulty in diagnosis stems from the complexity of mathematical knowledge, which requires that a combination of multiple domain-general and domain-specific skills be learned22,23. Children with MLD show very different cognitive profiles, with a broad constellation of deficits14, 24,25,26,27. In this regard, it is suggested that the need for multidimensional assessment by means of tasks involving different numerical representations (i.e., verbal, Arabic, analogic) and arithmetical skills11.
In primary school, symptoms of MLD are diverse. In terms of domain-specific skills, it is consistently found that many MLD students show difficulties in basic numerical skills, such as quickly and accurately recognizing Arabic numerals28,29,30, comparing magnitudes31,32, or representing numbers on the number line33,34. Primary school children have also shown difficulty in understanding conceptual knowledge, such as place value35, arithmetic knowledge36, or ordinality measured through ordered sequences37. Regarding domain-general skills, particular focus has been put on the role of working memory38,39 and language40 in the development of mathematical skills in children with and without MLD. In relation to working memory, the results suggest that students with MLD show a deficit in the central executive, especially when required to manipulate numerical information41,42. A deficit in visuospatial short-term memory has also been frequently reported in children with MLD43,44. Language skills have been found to be a prerequisite for learning numeracy skills, especially those that involve high verbal processing demand7. For example, phonological processing skills [e.g., phonological awareness and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)] are closely linked to those basic skills learned in primary school, such as numerical processing or arithmetic calculation39,45,46,47. Here, it has been demonstrated that variations in phonological awareness and RAN are associated with individual differences in numeracy skills that involve managing verbal code42,48. In light of the complex profile of children with MLD, a diagnostic tool should ideally include tasks that assess both domain-general and domain-specific skills, which are reported as being more frequently deficient in these children.
In recent years, several paper-and-pencil screening tools for MLD have been developed. Those most commonly used with Spanish primary school children are a) Evamat-Bater&#237;a para la Evaluaci&#243;n de la Competencia Matem&#225;tica (Battery for the Evaluation of Mathematical Competency)49; b) Tedi-Math: A Test for Diagnostic Assessment of Mathematical Disabilities (Spanish adaptation)50; c) Test de Evaluaci&#243;n Matem&#225;tica Temprana de Utrecht (TEMT-U)51,52, the Spanish version of the Utrecht Early Numeracy Test53; and d) Test of early math abilities (TEMA-3)54. These instruments measure many of the domain-specific skills mentioned above; however, none of them assess domain-general skills. Another limitation of these instruments - and of paper-and-pencil tools in general - is that they cannot provide information regarding the accuracy and automaticity with which each item is processed. This would only be possible with a computerized battery. However, very few applications have been developed for dyscalculia diagnosis. The first computerized tool designed to identify children (aged 6 to 14) with MLD was the Dyscalculia Screener55. A few years later, the web-based DyscalculiUm56 was developed with the same purpose but focused on adults and learners in post-16 education. Although still limited, there has been growing interest in computerized tool design for the diagnosis of MLD in recent years57,58,59,60. None of the tools mentioned have been standardized for Spanish children, and only one of them - the MathPro Test57- includes domain-general skill evaluation. Given the importance of identifying children with low mathematical achievement, especially those with MLD, and in the absence of computerized instruments for the Spanish population, we present a multimedia evaluation protocol that includes both domain-general and domain-specific skills.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Maths</td><td>Universidad de La Laguna</td><td>Pending assignment</td><td>BM-PROMA</td></tr></tbody></table>

multimedia battery for assessment of cognitive and basic skills in mathematics (bm-proma)

Learning mathematics is a complex process that requires the development of multiple domain-general and domain-specific skills. It is therefore not unexpected that many children struggle to stay at grade level, and this becomes especially difficult when several abilities from both domains are impaired, as in the case of mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Surprisingly, although MLD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting schoolchildren, most of the diagnostic instruments available do not include assessment of domain-general and domain-specific skills. Furthermore, very few are computerized. To the best of our knowledge, there is no tool with these features for Spanish-speaking children. The purpose of this study was to describe the protocol for the diagnosis of Spanish MLD children using the BM-PROMA multimedia battery. BM-PROMA facilitates the evaluation of both skill domains, and the 12&#160;tasks included for this purpose are empirically evidence-based. The strong internal consistency of BM-PROMA and its multidimensional internal structure are demonstrated. BM-PROMA proves to be an appropriate tool for diagnosing children with MLD during primary education. It provides a broad cognitive profile for the child, which will be relevant not only for diagnosis but also for individualized instructional planning.

In order to test the utility and effectiveness of this diagnostic tool, its psychometric properties were analyzed in a large-scale sample. A total of 933 Spanish primary school students (boys = 508, girls = 425; Mage = 10 years, SD = 1.36) from grade 2 to grade 6 (grade 2, N = 169 [89 boys]; grade 3, N = 170 [89 boys]; grade 4, N = 187 [106 boys]; grade 5, N = 203 [113 boys]; grade 6, N= 204 [110 boys]) participated in the study. The children were ...

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Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics BM-PROMA

BM-PROMA is a valid and reliable multimedia diagnostic tool that can provide a complete cognitive profile of children with mathematical learning disabilities.

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Learning mathematics is a complex process that requires the development of multiple domain-general and domain-specific skills. It is therefore not ...

multimedia-battery-for-assessment-cognitive-basic-skills-mathematics

Research

JoVE Journal

Behavior

4.4K Views.  Universidad de La Laguna. BM-PROMA is a valid and reliable multimedia diagnostic tool that can provide a complete cognitive profile of children with mathematical learning disabilities. 

Video: Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics BM-PROMA

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

The main goal of this study was to assess the usability of a tablet-computer-based application (EmoCogMeter) in investigating the effects of age on cognitive functions across the lifespan in a sample of 378 healthy subjects (age range 18-89 years). Consistent with previous findings we found an age-related cognitive decline across a wide range of neuropsychological domains (memory, attention, executive functions), thereby proving the usability of our tablet-based application. Regardless of prior computer experience, subjects of all age groups were able to perform the tasks without instruction or feedback from an experimenter. Increased motivation and compliance proved to be beneficial for task performance, thereby potentially increasing the validity of the results. Our promising findings underline the great clinical and practical potential of a tablet-based application for detection and monitoring of cognitive dysfunction.

We tested the usability of a tablet-computer-based application (EmoCogMeter) in investigating the effects of age on cognition. Results show an age-related cognitive decline, thereby proving the usability of our application. Findings underline the great clinical and practical potential of a tablet-based application for detection and monitoring of cognitive dysfunction.

The main goal of this study was to assess the usability of a tablet-computer-based application (EmoCogMeter) in investigating the effects of age on ...

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

We describe a high-throughput, high-volume, fully automated, live-in 24/7 behavioral testing system for assessing the effects of genetic and pharmacological manipulations on basic mechanisms of cognition and learning in mice. A standard polypropylene mouse housing tub is connected through an acrylic tube to a standard commercial mouse test box. The test box has 3 hoppers, 2 of which are connected to pellet feeders. All are internally illuminable with an LED and monitored for head entries by infrared (IR) beams. Mice live in the environment, which eliminates handling during screening. They obtain their food during two or more daily feeding periods by performing in operant (instrumental) and Pavlovian (classical) protocols, for which we have written protocol-control software and quasi-real-time data analysis and graphing software. The data analysis and graphing routines are written in a MATLAB-based language created to simplify greatly the analysis of large time-stamped behavioral and physiological event records and to preserve a full data trail from raw data through all intermediate analyses to the published graphs and statistics within a single data structure. The data-analysis code harvests the data several times a day and subjects it to statistical and graphical analyses, which are automatically stored in the &#34;cloud&#34; and on in-lab computers. Thus, the progress of individual mice is visualized and quantified daily. The data-analysis code talks to the protocol-control code, permitting the automated advance from protocol to protocol of individual subjects. The behavioral protocols implemented are matching, autoshaping, timed hopper-switching, risk assessment in timed hopper-switching, impulsivity measurement, and the circadian anticipation of food availability. Open-source protocol-control and data-analysis code makes the addition of new protocols simple. Eight test environments fit in a 48 in x 24 in x 78 in&#160;cabinet; two such cabinets (16 environments) may be controlled by one computer.

Fully automated system for measuring physiologically meaningful properties of the mechanisms mediating spatial localization, temporal localization, duration, rate&#160;and probability estimation, risk assessment, impulsivity, and the accuracy and precision of memory, in order to assess the effects of genetic and pharmacological manipulations on foundational mechanisms of cognition in mice.

We describe a high-throughput, high-volume, fully automated, live-in 24/7 behavioral testing system for assessing the effects of genetic and ...

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children &#8211; Working Memory (CABC-WM)

The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM) is a computer-based battery designed to assess different components of working memory in young school-age children. Working memory deficits have been identified in children with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia1,2 and language impairment3,4, but it is not clear whether these children exhibit deficits in subcomponents of working memory, such as visuospatial or phonological working memory. The CABC-WM is administered on a desktop computer with a touchscreen interface and was specifically developed to be engaging and motivating for children. Although the long-term goal of the CABC-WM is to provide individualized working memory profiles in children, the present study focuses on the initial success and utility of the CABC-WM for measuring central executive, visuospatial, phonological loop, and binding constructs in children with typical development. Immediate next steps are to administer the CABC-WM to children with specific language impairment, dyslexia, and comorbid specific language impairment and dyslexia.

Working memory predicts a significant amount of variance for a variety of cognitive tasks, including speaking, reading, and writing. However, few tools are available to assess working memory in children. We present an innovative, computer-based battery that comprehensively assesses different components of working memory in school-age children.

The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM) is a computer-based battery designed to assess different components of ...

Battery of Behavioral Tests Assessing General Locomotion, Muscular Strength, and Coordination in Mice

Behavioral testing is used in pre-clinical trials to assess the phenotypic effects and outcomes that a particular disease or treatment has on the animal&#39;s wellbeing and health. There are numerous behavioral tests that may be applied. We selected a test for general locomotion, the open field test (OFT); a test for muscular strength, the mesh test (MT); and a test for coordination, the rotarod test (RR). Testing can be accomplished on a weekly or monthly basis. As a test for general locomotion, the OFT works by objectively monitoring movement parameters while the mouse is in an open field apparatus. The field is generally a 2&#39; x 2&#39; box, and the movements are recorded through laser sensing or through video capture. The mouse is placed in the center of the open field and allowed to move freely for the test. The MT uses the latency for a mouse to fall off an inverted screen as a measure of muscular strength. A mouse is placed on a screen, which is inverted over a clear box, and is timed for their latency to fall. Three trials are performed, with the best of the three trials scored for that day. A score of 60 s is the maximum time a mouse is left inverted. Mice are given a 5-min rest period between mesh test trials. Lastly, an accelerated protocol on the RR assesses motor coordination and endurance. During a trial, a mouse walks on a rotating rod as it increases in speed from 4 rpm to 40 rpm over 5 min. The trial ends when the mouse touches the magnetized pressure sensor upon falling. Each mouse undergoes three trials, and the best trial is scored for that day. This combined behavioral data allows for the global assessment of mobility, coordination, strength, and movement of the test animals. At least two out of the three behavioral testing measures must show improvement for an animal to qualify as having overall improved motor function.

Behavioral testing is used in pre-clinical trials to assess the phenotypic effects of a disease or treatment on an animal's wellbeing. In order to globally assess motor functioning, we selected tests for general locomotion, muscular strength, and coordination: the open field test, the mesh test, and the rotarod test, respectively.

Behavioral testing is used in pre-clinical trials to assess the phenotypic effects and outcomes that a particular disease or treatment has on the ...

A Behavioral Test Battery for the Repeated Assessment of Motor Skills, Mood, and Cognition in Mice

Pharmacological and toxicological studies in neurodegeneration require comprehensive behavioral analysis in mice because motor dysfunctions and dysfunctions in mood and cognition are common and often shared symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases. Shown here is a behavioral test battery for motor, mood, and cognition, which can be repeatedly tested in a longitudinal study. This battery assesses the overall behavioral phenotype in mice by examining each domain of behavior with at least two independent well-accepted tests (i.e., open-field test and rotarod test for motor function, social interaction test, elevated plus maze test, and forced swim test for emotional function, and Morris water maze test and novel object recognition test for cognitive function). Therefore, this sensitive and comprehensive test battery is a powerful tool for the study of behavioral alternation in neurodegeneration.

A comprehensive behavioral test battery of motor skills, mood&#8212;including social interaction, depression, and anxiety&#8212;and cognition is designed for the repeated assessment of neurodegeneration-related behavioral changes in mice.

Pharmacological and toxicological studies in neurodegeneration require comprehensive behavioral analysis in mice because motor dysfunctions and ...

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease

As Parkinson&#8217;s disease (PD) is a heterogeneous disorder, personalized medicine is truly required to optimize care. In their current form, standard scores from paper and pencil symptom- measures traditionally used to track disease progression are too coarse (discrete) to capture the granularity of the clinical phenomena under consideration, in the face of tremendous symptom diversity. For this reason, sensors, wearables, and mobile devices are increasingly incorporated into PD research and routine care. These digital measures, while more precise, yield data that are less standardized and interpretable than traditional measures, and consequently, the two types of data remain largely siloed. Both of these issues present barriers to the broad clinical application of the field&#8217;s most precise assessment tools. This protocol addresses both problems. Using traditional tasks to measure cognition and motor control, we test the participant, while co-registering biophysical signals unobtrusively using wearables. We then integrate the scores from traditional paper-and-pencil methods with the digital data that we continuously register. We offer a new standardized data type and unifying statistical platform that enables the dynamic tracking of change in the person&#8217;s stochastic signatures under different conditions that probe different functional levels of neuromotor control, ranging from voluntary to autonomic. The protocol and standardized statistical framework offer dynamic digital biomarkers of physical and cognitive function in PD that correspond to validated clinical scales, while significantly improving their precision.&#160;

This protocol offers a digitization of portions of traditional clinical tasks commonly used to measure cognition and motor control in Parkinson&#8217;s disease. Clinical tasks are digitized while biophysical rhythms are co-registered from different functional levels of the nervous systems, ranging from voluntary, spontaneous, automatic to autonomic.

As Parkinson&#8217;s disease (PD) is a heterogeneous disorder, personalized medicine is truly required to optimize care. In their current form, standard ...

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

The purpose of this study was to describe a Spanish protocol that includes reading, writing, and math Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) aimed at early detection of students at risk of presenting learning disabilities (LD). Early identification of LD is a critical component of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. In early grades, the screening of foundational skills mentioned above can provide a data-based guideline for identifying students requiring a more intensive response-based intervention before starting elementary school. We designed different CBMs based on indicators of basic early reading, writing, and math skills [Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Lectura, Escritura y Matem&#225;ticas, IPAL, IPAE, and IPAM respectively]&#160;that aim to fulfill the twofold objective of universal screening and evaluation of the Spanish students&#8217; progress. For reading, IPAL includes alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, concepts about print, and riddles in kindergarten. In first and second grades, IPAL includes alphabetic principle, nonsense words fluency, maze sentences, and oral reading fluency. In addition, it includes phonemic segmentation for first grade and prosody for second grade. For writing, IPAE includes copying letters, writing allographs, dictated letters, dictated words with arbitrary spelling, dictated words with rule-based spelling, dictated nonsense words, dictated sentences, writing sentences, and writing a story for first-third grades. Finally, for math, IPAM includes number comparison, missing number, number identification, quantity array, and counting aloud for kindergarten, and number comparison, multi-digit computation, missing number, single-digit computation, and place value for first-third grades.

This work presents a protocol to administrate Spanish Curriculum-Based Measures for the early detection of reading, math, and writing difficulties. These tools could help practitioners and applied researchers working in the context of the Response to Intervention model.

The purpose of this study was to describe a Spanish protocol that includes reading, writing, and math Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) aimed at early ...

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Learning disabilities (LDs) encompass disorders of those who have difficulty learning and using academic skills, exhibiting performance below expectations for their chronological age in the areas of reading, writing, and/or mathematics. Each of the disorders making up the LDs involve different deficits; however, some commonalities can be found within that heterogeneity, such in terms of learning self-regulation and metacognition. Unlike in early ages and later educational levels, there are hardly any evidence-based evaluation protocols for adults with LDs. LDs influence academic performance but also have serious consequences in professional, social, and family contexts. In response to this, the current work proposes a multimodal evaluation protocol focused on metacognitive, self-regulation of learning, and emotional processes, which make up the basis of the difficulties in adults with LDs. The assessment is carried out through analysis of the on-line learning process using a variety methods, techniques, and sensors (e.g., eye tracking, facial expressions of emotion, physiological responses, concurrent verbalizations, log files, screen recordings of human-machine interactions) and off-line methods (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, and self-report measures). This theoretically-driven and empirically-based guideline aims to provide an accurate assessment of LDs in adulthood in order to design effective prevention and intervention proposals.

The current work proposes a multimodal evaluation protocol focused on metacognitive, self-regulation of learning, and emotional processes, which make up the basis of the difficulties in adults with LDs.

Learning disabilities (LDs) encompass disorders of those who have difficulty learning and using academic skills, exhibiting performance below expectations ...

Computerized Dyslexia Assessment for Spanish-Speaking Children Using SICOLE-R

Advancing Dyslexia Assessment in Children Through Computerized Testing

The acquisition of reading skills is an intricate process that demands the cultivation of various domain-general and domain-specific abilities. Consequently, it is unsurprising that many children grapple with maintaining proficiency at the grade level, particularly when confronted with challenges spanning multiple abilities across both domains, as observed in individuals with reading difficulties. Strikingly, despite reading difficulties being among the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders affecting school-aged children, the majority of available diagnostic tools lack a comprehensive framework for assessing the full spectrum of cognitive skills linked to dyslexia, with minimal computerized options. Notably, there are currently limited tools with these features available for Spanish-speaking children. The aim of this study was to delineate the protocol for diagnosing Spanish-speaking children with reading difficulties using the Sicole-R multimedia battery. This tool for elementary grades focuses on evaluating cognitive skills that are associated with dyslexia as prescribed by the scientific literature. Specifically, it concentrates on assessing a range of cognitive abilities that studies have demonstrated to be linked to dyslexia. This focus is based on the observation that individuals with dyslexia typically exhibit deficits in several of the cognitive areas evaluated by this digital tool. The robust internal consistency and multidimensional internal structure of the battery were demonstrated. This multimedia battery has proven to be a fitting tool for diagnosing children with reading difficulties in primary education, offering a comprehensive cognitive profile that is valuable not only for diagnostic purposes but also for tailoring individualized instructional plans.

Author Spotlight: Validation of SICOLE-R for Assessing Cognitive and Reading Skills in Spanish-Speaking Children and Its Role in Personalized Education

The Multimedia Battery for Assessment of General-Domain and Specific-Domain Skills in Reading is a reliable and valid multimedia battery designed to assess cognitive and basic reading skills. It enables the generation of a comprehensive cognitive and reading performance profile, which is particularly beneficial for children with dyslexia.

The acquisition of reading skills is an intricate process that demands the cultivation of various domain-general and domain-specific abilities. ...

A Computerized Test Battery to Study Pharmacodynamic Effects on the Central Nervous System of Cholinergic Drugs in Early Phase Drug Development

Investigating potential pharmacodynamic effects in an early phase of central nervous system (CNS) drug research can provide valuable information for further development of new compounds. A computerized and thoroughly validated battery of neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests has been shown to be sensitive to detect drug-induced effects of multiple new and existing compounds. The test battery covers the main CNS domains, which have been shown to respond to drug effects and can be repeatedly administered following drug administration to characterize the concentration-effect profile of a drug.
The standard tests in the battery are saccadic eye movement, smooth pursuit eye movement, the Bowdle visual analog scale (VAS), the Bond and Lader VAS, body sway, adaptive tracking, visual verbal learning, and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). However, the test battery is adaptive in nature, meaning that it can be composed and adjusted with tests fit to investigate specific drug classes, or even specific receptors.
Showing effects of new cholinergic drugs designed to have a pro-cognitive outcome has been difficult. The pharmacological challenge model is a tool for early proof-of-pharmacology. Here, a marketed drug is used to induce temporary and reversible disease-like symptoms in healthy subjects, via a pharmacological mechanism related to the disease that is targeted as indication for the new compound. The test battery was implemented to investigate the potential of the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine to be used as a challenge model for cholinergic dysfunction, as seen in neurodegenerative disorders.
A worsening of scores in a dose dependent manner on the visual verbal learning test (VVLT; a test for learning and memory abilities) and the adaptive tracking test (a measure of visuomotor control and arousal), in particular, showed that the test battery is sensitive to showing acute pharmacodynamic effect after administration of anti-cholinergic drugs.

A validated computerized battery of neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests is used to study pharmacodynamic effects on the central nervous system of newly developed drugs in early phase development. To demonstrate the test battery, the acute effects of mecamylamine and the reversal of these effects by two agonist drugs are described.

Investigating potential pharmacodynamic effects in an early phase of central nervous system (CNS) drug research can provide valuable information for ...