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OBJECTIVE: The exposure to unfavorable environments during childhood negatively affects the development of the executive planning abilities in adult life. In countries with sociopolitical conflicts, children are exposed to traumatic events as a result of child abuse and sociopolitical violence. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the exposure to both forms of adverse childhood experiences on the executive planning abilities in adults from the general population. METHOD: The history of child abuse and sociopolitical violence during childhood was assessed, as well as the executive planning abilities, in 59 adults older than 49 without cognitive impairment or depressive disorder. RESULTS: Of the sample, 88.1% experienced at least one child abuse event and 47.5% was exposed to sociopolitical violence. Sexual abuse and physical abuse (child abuse) were associated with reduced performance in executive planning. Forced displacement and extortion (sociopolitical violence) had a mixed relationship with planning ability, improving some aspects, and worsening some others. Kidnapping was associated with increased capacity and control of the working memory and executive planning. CONCLUSIONS: The traumatic events during childhood have differential effects on the executive planning skills in the adult life. The exposure to sexual and physical abuse negatively affects executive skills; on the other hand, sociopolitical violence has a mixed or positive impact. Specifically, kidnapping favors the executive planning processes, probably under an evolutionary adaptive mechanism.

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RESUMEN INTRODUCCIÓN: El objetivo de la investigación fue la evaluación del rendimiento en la memoria de trabajo de una población de adultos, mayores de 49 años, de la ciudad de Medellín, analizando las diferencias de este desempeño entre hombres y mujeres. MATERIALES Y METODOS: Estudio observacional analítico, con un diseño transversal, en el que se evaluó el rendimiento en este proceso de 144 adultos mayores de 49 años con la tarea de Retención de Dígitos y la tarea de Cubos de Corsi. Participaron 60 hombres (41,7 %) y 84 mujeres (58,3 %), con una edad media de 66,5 ± 9,9 y 69,3 ± 12,1 años, respectivamente. RESULTADOS: La puntuación de los hombres supera ligeramente a la de las mujeres en todas las pruebas realizadas, con una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la tarea de Cubos de Corsi Inversa (Span Visual © Inverso). Asimismo, se evidencia un mejor desempeño por parte de las mujeres en tareas de amplitud simple y de tipo verbal, mientras que los hombres se desempeñan mejor en tareas amplitud compleja y de tipo visoespacial. CONCLUSIONES: estos hallazgos sugieren una ventaja de los hombres en el control de la atención e indican una mayor capacidad para retener e integrar la información visual y cinestésica, así como un mejor desarrollo en algunas habilidades cognitivas superiores como la comprensión del lenguaje y la orientación visoespacial.

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: the objective of this study was to evaluate working memory performance in a population aged 50 and over from Medellin, analyzing the differences of this achievement between men and women. MATERIALS AND METHOD: An analytical observational study was carried out with a cross-sectional design in which the performance of this system was evaluated in 144 subjects with the Digit Span and the Corsi Block-Tapping Task. Participants were 60 men (41.7 %) and 84 women (58.3 %) with an average age of 66.5 ± 9.9 and 69.3 ± 12.1 years, respectively. RESULTS: Results show that men's scores slightly surpass those of women in all the tests performed, with a statistically significant difference in the Corsi Block-Tapping Task. Furthermore, women have a better performance in simple span tasks and verbal tasks, while men achieve better results in complex span tasks and visuospatial tasks. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that men have an advantage over women in attentional control, and they have a better capacity to maintain and integrate visual and kinesthetic information. Also, these results indicate that men have a better development in some higher-order cognitive skills as language comprehension and visuospatial orientation.

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OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship of depressive symptoms with differentiated components of cognitive function in older adults using the Neuronorma.Co protocol. METHODOLOGY: We analyzed the cognitive performance of 144 adults, 58.3% women, with an average age of 68.1 ± 11.2 years. A factor analysis of main components was performed to identify independent factors of cognitive function. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the type and strength of association between depressive symptoms and neurocognitive performance components. RESULTS: Seven differentiated components of cognitive performance were identified. In the multivariate analysis, interference control and language were affected by the total score on the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and intensity of depressive symptoms is associated with a lower performance in tasks dependent on executive control.

OBJETIVO: Analizar la relación de los síntomas depresivos con componentes diferenciados de la función cognitiva de adultos mayores usando el protocolo Neuronorma.Co. METODOLOGÍA: Se analizó el rendimiento cognitivo de 144 adultos, 58, 3% mujeres, con una edad media de 68, 1 ± 11, 2 años. Se realizó un análisis factorial de componentes principales, para identificar factores independientes de la función cognitiva. Se usó el análisis de regresión lineal múltiple para estimar el tipo y la fuerza de asociación entre síntomas depresivos y los componentes del desempeño neurocognitivo. RESULTADOS: Se identificaron siete componentes diferenciados del rendimiento cognitivo. En el análisis multivariado el control de la interferencia y el lenguaje resultaron afectados por la puntuación total en la Escala de Depresión Geriátrica de Yesavage.

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Resumen Este artículo tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre los patrones de apego y funciones frontales en niños escolarizados de 6 a 10 años de una institución educativa pública de Bello (Antioquia, Colombia). Método: diseño observacional, analítico, transversal, prospectivo, Muestra: Participaron 29 escolares seleccionados a conveniencia de una institución educativa pública. Se utilizó el test breve de inteligencia de Kaufman (K-BIT), la batería de funciones ejecutivas y lóbulos frontales (BANFE-2) y para evaluar apego el MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB). Resultados: El apego seguro parece estar asociado a un funcionamiento ejecutivo óptimo; específicamente, a la capacidad para desarrollar secuencias consecutivas e inversas, mantener en la memoria de trabajo resultados parciales, inhibir la interferencia, planear una serie de acciones que conllevan a una meta específica, operar en una condición incierta y aprender relaciones que necesitan del análisis riesgo-beneficio para obtener las mayores ganancias posibles.

Abstract This article aims to stablish the relationship between attachment patterns and the frontal functions in children who form part of a public school and whose age was 6 - 10 years old. Method: observational, analytic, transversal and prospective design. Sample: 29 children selected by a convenience criterion. It was used the Kaufman's brief Intelligence test (K-BIT), the executive functions and frontal lobules battery (BANFE-2) and in order to evaluate attachment it was used the MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB). Results: The secure attachment could be could be associated to the optimal executive performance; particularly the ability to develop consecutive and inverse sequences, maintaining partial results in work-memory, interference inhibition, planification of goal oriented actions, performance in uncertain conditions and the analysis of benefits-risk actions in order to obtain the highest earnings as possible.