From Learning to Memory: A Comparison Between Verbal and Non-verbal Skills in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Johanna Maeder; Mathilde Bostelmann; Maude Schneider; Karin Bortolin; Matthias Kliegel; Stephan Eliez

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.597681

From Learning to Memory: A Comparison Between Verbal and Non-verbal Skills in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jun 16:12:597681. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.597681. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Johanna Maeder¹, Mathilde Bostelmann^{1

2}, Maude Schneider^{1

3

4}, Karin Bortolin^{1

5}, Matthias Kliegel^{6

7}, Stephan Eliez^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
² Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Development, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
³ Clinical Psychology Unit for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁵ Medical Image Processing Laboratory, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁶ Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, and Swiss National Center of Competences in Research LIVES-Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁷ Cognitive Aging Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁸ Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

Background: Previous studies on possible memory deficits in 22q11DS often focused on quantifying the information memorized, whereas learning processes have been mostly overlooked. Furthermore, methodological differences in task design have made verbal and non-verbal comparison challenging and mixed results have been observed depending on chosen stimuli. Method: 135 participants (78 with 22q11DS) completed a multi-trial memory task modeled after the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task, comparing verbal and non-verbal learning as well as retention over time. Performance in the 22q11DS group were compared to controls and learning curves were analyzed. Results: In 22q11DS, slower acquisition of non-verbal material and higher rates of errors in both verbal and non-verbal tasks was observed. After 30 min, free recall performance, when corrected for initial learning rate, was similar between 22q11DS and controls. Conversely, recognition performance was overall weaker for 22q11DS in both modalities (verbal and non-verbal). Conclusion: This study examined how information is acquired, retained in memory over time and how different recall modalities (free recall vs. recognition) could yield different performances. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome; genetic condition; learning; memory; recognition; retention.