title: The neurophysiological performance of visuospatial working memory in children with developmental coordination disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the deficit in visuospatial working memory (VSWM) seen in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and to compare brain activity while performing a VSWM task in children with DCD and typically developing children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Behavioural performance and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in 24 children (12 males, 12 females; mean age 139 mo, SD 4 mo) with DCD (as determined by a score <5th centile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition) and in 30 age- and sex-matched typically developing children (15 males; 15 females; mean age 140 mo, SD 5 mo) recruited from local schools, while performing one spatial non-delay and two time-delayed spatial memory tasks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with typically developing children, children with DCD exhibited longer reaction times (p = 0.022; partial η(2) =0.10) and lower accuracy rates (p < 0.001; partial η(2) = 0.35) on the two spatial memory tasks. Electrophysiological indices also showed distinct modulatory effects, with children with DCD exhibiting smaller P3 (p < 0.001; partial η(2) = 0.26) and positive slow wave (pSW; p = 0.003; partial η(2) = 0.16) amplitude and a smaller area under the curve of P3 and pSW components (p = 0.002; partial η(2) = 0.17).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combined analysis of behavioural performance and ERP data suggests that children with DCD have deficits of visuospatial working memory owing to fewer resources being allocated to comparison of spatial locations, less effort allotted to the response selection, and less neural processing employed during the retrieval process phase.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Education, Health and Leisure Studies, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. andytsai@mail.ncku.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chia-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Yu-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Tsung-Min
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Yu-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Tzu-Chi
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology