Journal of child neurology
February 17, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Intelligence Over Time in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Based on a Structured Natural History-Study.
van Abeelen S, Hendriksen JGM, de Louw A, de Wit MCY, de Nijs PFA, Oostenbrink R, Rietman AB.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A structured natural history study found that overall intelligence remains stable in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 between ages 3 and 15, though performance IQ dipped at age 11 before recovering by age 15, suggesting a window around ages 6-11 that may warrant closer neurocognitive monitoring.
What was studied
A cross-sectional and longitudinal natural history study assessed 397 children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) at ages 3, 6, 11, and 15 years using a neuropsychological test battery, comparing performance and verbal IQ scores across and within age groups, and examining whether maternal education, mode of inheritance, or ADHD predicted changes in intelligence over time.
Key findings
- Cross-sectionally, 15-year-olds outperformed 11-year-olds on Performance IQ (PIQ)
- In the longitudinal group, a reduced PIQ was observed at age 11 that appeared to recover by age 15
- Mother's level of education, mode of inheritance, and ADHD status were not predictive of these PIQ changes
- Overall, intelligence remained stable in children with NF1 between ages 3 and 15, and the gap between Performance IQ and Verbal IQ decreased over time
Clinical relevance
The findings suggest that while overall cognitive ability remains stable across childhood in NF1, there may be a temporary dip in performance-based cognitive skills around age 11 that resolves by adolescence, supporting the authors' recommendation for neurocognitive monitoring particularly during the ages 6-11 window due to risks of attention and learning issues. This is natural history/descriptive data and does not identify a specific intervention to address the age-11 dip.
Who should care
Limitations
The study combined cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons, and the longitudinal subgroup showing the PIQ dip-and-recovery pattern was not described in detail regarding its size relative to the full 397-child cohort, which may limit precision of this specific finding.
Intelligence remained generally stable in children with NF1 from ages 3 to 15, but performance IQ dipped around age 11 before recovering by 15, supporting closer neurocognitive monitoring during the ages 6-11 period.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
This study examines the course of intelligence in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and factors influencing changes. In this cross-sectional and longitudinal study, 397 children were assessed at ages 3, 6, 11, and 15 years using a neuropsychological test battery. Comparisons of demographics and scores were conducted across and within cross-sectional and longitudinal groups. Cross-sectionally, 15-year-olds outperformed 11-year-olds on Performance IQ (PIQ). A reduced PIQ at age 11 years was found that appeared to recover by age 15 years in the longitudinal group. The mother's level of education, the mode of inheritance, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were not predictive of these changes. Overall, intelligence remains stable in children with NF1 between 3 and 15 years of age. The gap between PIQ and VIQ decreases over time. Neurocognitive monitoring is recommended during the critical period between ages 6 and 11 years due to risks of attention and learning issues.
DOI
10.1177/08830738261416621
PMID
41700776
PMCID
PMC13522411
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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