Cognitive abilities of adolescent Turner's syndrome patients

Abstract

The association of deficits in spatial abilities and lower Performance IQ (PIQ) scores in Turner's Syndrome Patients (TSPs) has been studied since 1962. Conflicting results have been reported with regard to the nature of their spatial ability deficits. This study examines the nature of the cognitive and spatial abilities in TSPS of normal intelligence. A neuropsychological battery of standardized tests was administered over a two-month period to 14 TSPs, aged 13-19 years. These patients had been served medically in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, University of Michigan Medical Center, since childhood. Patient scores were compared to the test battery's standardized norms by univariate t-tests. No differences were found in the Wechsler subtest scores previously used to measure spatial abilities (Block Design, Object Assembly, WISC-R). TSPs excelled in verbal abstract reasoning and verbal comprehension (p less than 0.01) and demonstrated superior social judgment (p less than 0.05). Pairwise t-tests did not reveal differences in these spatial measures when the sample was divided into Bright (110+) and Average (109-80) Verbal IQ (VIQ) groups. Although their PIQs were within the average range, the TSPs VIQs were significantly higher (p less than 0.01). Verbal-performance (V-P) differences are discussed in the context of normal V-P discrepancies in Wechsler's original standardized sample. Patients did have a significant (p less than 0.01) impairment on measures that involved the cognitive process of visual memory. Findings suggest that a specific spatial deficit is not present in TSPs who have average or above intelligence. Patients in this sample did, however, demonstrate an impairment in visual memory.