Table 2 Z-scores of individual executive function tasks, aggregated domains, and the global executive function score in very preterm and term-born participants.

From: Altered brain metabolism contributes to executive function deficits in school-aged children born very preterm

Global scorea

Domainb

Task

 

VPT/TB n

VPT mean (SD)

TB mean (SD)

VPT vs TB p

 

VPT/TB n

VPTc mean (SD)

n VPT/TB: 68/70

VPT/TB mean (SD) −0.39 (0.60)/0.04 (0.57)

VPT vs TB

p ≤ 0.001

Inhibition

68/69

−0.45 (0.86)

−0.01 (0.80)

0.004

Stop-signal, reaction time

69/70

−0.62 (1.14)

D-KEFS CWIT, Inhibition completion time

78/74

−0.30 (1.03)

Working memory

76/74

−0.56 (0.93)

0.02 (0.77)

<0.001

WISC-IV digit span, maximum span backward

77/88

−0.22 (0.86)

Corsi Block, maximum span backward

79/77

−0.72 (1.12)

TAP Working Memory, Errors

77/75

−0.82 (1.73)

Cognitive flexibility

68/73

−0.35 (0.88)

0.03 (0.78)

0.009

D-KEFS TMT, Switching completion time

68/76

−0.64 (1.33)

TAP Flexibility, Errors

77/75

−0.14 (1.05)

Fluency

70/75

−0.44 (0.52)

0.01 (0.71)

<0.001

D-KEFS Design Fluencyd, correct designs: Condition 1–3

77/76

−0.48 (0.62)

RWT Verbal Fluencye, correct words: G/R-words, Animals, Sport/fruit

72/77

−0.41 (0.74)

Planning

66/55

−0.22 (1.17)

0.01 (1.0)

0.25

D-KEFS Tower, Total achievement score

66/55

−0.22 (1.17)

  1. VPT very preterm participants, TB term-born participants.
  2. To account for multiple comparisons, p values were adjusted according to the Benjamini−Hochberg procedure.
  3. aThe global score was calculated if at least four out of the five domain-specific scores were available (80%).
  4. bA domain-specific score was calculated if the data for all the corresponding tasks were available.
  5. cz-scores of TB participants had mean = 0 and SD = 1 on task level.
  6. dFor the design fluency task, a z-score was calculated for each of the three conditions separately. Subsequently, a mean z-score was calculated if at least two of the three conditions were complete.
  7. eThe verbal fluency z-score was calculated identically as the design fluency score.
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