Information processing speed of children with Friedreich's ataxia.
Two children with Friedreich's ataxia and six controls matched for age and Verbal IQ were administered a measure of short-term memory scanning and tests of attention, memory, language and abstraction. The patients demonstrated a deficit in information processing speed, decreased sustained attention and variable memory performance. The findings suggest that a deficit in information processing speed occurs early in the clinical course of Friedreich's ataxia and progresses as neurological status deteriorates.
D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011930:Reaction Time; D014706:Verbal Learning