Heart rate variability and cognitive functions in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease.

Background: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) originates from the interplay between parasympathetic/sympathetic inputs to the heart, thus serving as an indicator of Autonomic Nervous System regulation. Prior research indicates that decreased HRV, marked by reduced autonomic balance, is related to poorer cognitive performance. While the population with congenital heart disease (CHD) show changes in HRV linked with the heart defect, the association between HRV and cognitive functions in CHD remains unexplored.

Processing Speed Partially Mediates Executive Function Impairments in Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To assess processing speed, fine motor function, attention, and executive function (EF) impairments in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) who underwent open-heart surgery during infancy.

Study Design: We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery evaluating 5 EF domains: working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, fluency, and planning and primary neurodevelopmental processes (PNPs): processing speed, fine motor function, and attention. The sample included 100 adolescents with complex CHD from a previous University Children's Hospital Zurich study, with 104 healthy controls for comparison.

Stress Markers, Executive Functioning, and Resilience Among Early Adolescents With Complex Congenital Heart Disease.

Importance: Infants with complex congenital heart disease (cCHD) may experience prolonged and severe stress when undergoing open heart surgery. However, little is known about long-term stress and its role in neurodevelopmental impairments in this population.

Objective: To investigate potential differences between early adolescents aged 10 to 15 years with cCHD and healthy controls in physiological stress markers by hair analysis, executive function (EF) performance, and resilience.

Association of cerebellar volume with cognitive and motor function in adults with congenital heart disease.

Introduction: Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk for cognitive and motor function impairments, brain injury, and smaller total brain volumes. The specific vulnerability of the cerebellum and its role in cognitive and motor functions in adults with congenital heart disease is not well defined.

Methods: Forty-three patients with CHD and 53 controls between 18 and 32 years underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive, executive (EF), and motor function assessment.

Counting on random number generation: Uncovering mild executive dysfunction in congenital heart disease.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with various neurocognitive deficits, particularly targeting executive functions (EFs), of which random number generation (RNG) is one indicator. RNG has, however, never been investigated in CHD. We administered the Mental Dice Task (MDT) to 67 young adults with CHD and 55 healthy controls.