Age-related differences in hot and cold executive functions in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: longitudinal individual changes and age-group comparisons across childhood and adolescence.

This study investigated age-related differences in hot (affective-motivational) and cold (cognitive) executive functions (EF) in boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) across childhood and adolescence. In a cross-sectional design, 70 boys with DMD aged 5, 8, 11, and 14 years completed performance-based EF assessments, accompanied by parent-reported EF ratings. Longitudinal data were also collected from a subsample of 13 boys over a three-year period, with repeated assessments at the age intervals of 5-8, 8-11, and 11-14 years. At age 5, no significant EF impairments were observed. By age 8, however, significant deficits in hot EF tasks emerged, followed by impairments in cold EF at age 11. Cold EF performance indicated developmental delay rather than decline, as reflected in logits-based data. Longitudinal analyses using the Reliable Change Index revealed heterogeneous developmental patterns. Findings suggest that boys with DMD exhibit disrupted EF development, with increasing impairment through middle childhood and a potential positive trend from 11 to 14 years. These results underscore the importance of monitoring EF across a wider age range in this population.