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Ko K, Jones A, Francis D, Robidoux S, McArthur G. Physiological correlates of anxiety in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Stress Health 2024; 40:e3388. [PMID: 38451702 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent problems that affects children and adolescents. The vast majority of diagnostic tools for anxiety depend on written or verbal reports from children and adolescents or their significant others. The validity and reliability of such reports can be compromised by their subjective nature. Thus, there is growing interest in whether anxiety can be indexed with objective physiological measures. The key aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine which physiological measures are most reliably associated with elevated levels of anxiety amongst children and adolescents. Online databases (e.g., PsycINFO, Embase, Medline) were searched for relevant studies according to pre-determined criteria. Twenty-five studies comprising 2502 participants (N = 1160 with high anxiety) met inclusion, identifying 11 groups of physiological measures. Our meta-analysis revealed that skin conductance level is the most sensitive measure of anxiety (d = 0.83), followed by electromyography (EMG) measures (d = 0.71) and skin conductance response (d = 0.58). However, the included studies varied in terms of subjective measures, study designs, experimental task measures, and physiological measures. Consideration of these differences in methodology offer potential directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Ko
- Macquarie University Centre for Reading, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alana Jones
- Macquarie University Centre for Reading, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Deanna Francis
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Serje Robidoux
- Macquarie University Centre for Reading, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Genevieve McArthur
- Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation Literacy and Clinical Services, South Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Liu R, Pagliaccio D, Herbstman JB, Fox NA, Margolis AE. Prenatal exposure to air pollution and childhood internalizing problems: roles of shyness and anterior cingulate cortex activity. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1037-1044. [PMID: 36789477 PMCID: PMC10272087 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to air pollution increases the risk for psychiatric disorders characterized by internalizing problems. In this study, we examined the roles of shyness and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity in the association between prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and children's internalizing problems at 7-9 years old. METHODS Participants include 53 children (31 girls, 22 boys). Personal air monitoring was conducted over 48 continuous hours during the third trimester of pregnancy to measure 8 PAHs. Mothers reported children's shyness (Emotionality Activity Sociability Temperament Survey) at age 5 and internalizing problems (Child Behavior Checklist) at ages 7-9. ACC activity was measured by fMRI during the Simon Spatial Incompatibility task at ages 7-9. RESULTS Shyness mediated the association between prenatal PAH exposure and internalizing problems. Higher prenatal PAH exposure predicted increased shyness, which in turn predicted greater internalizing problems. Moreover, left ACC activity during the Simon task moderated the association between prenatal PAH exposure and internalizing problems. Prenatal PAH exposure predicted increased risk for internalizing problems only when children showed heightened left ACC activity during the resolution of cognitive conflict. CONCLUSIONS Our study innovatively synthesizes the fields of developmental psychology and environmental health science to offer new insights into the risk factors for anxiety disorders. Facilitating the development of healthy reactive and regulatory processes may improve the developmental outcomes for children highly exposed to air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Liu
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - David Pagliaccio
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julie B. Herbstman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nathan A. Fox
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Amy E. Margolis
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Chen J, Xiao Y, Xu B, Zhang D. The developmental trajectory of task-related frontal EEG theta/beta ratio in childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101233. [PMID: 36940533 PMCID: PMC10036884 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention control, the ability to focus on task-relevant information while blocking out irrelevant information, is crucial for successful task completion throughout development. However, the neurodevelopment of attention control during tasks remains underexplored, particularly from an electrophysiogical perpective. Therefore, the present study investigated the developmental trajectory of frontal TBR, a well-established EEG correlate of attention control, in a large sample of 5, 207 children aged 5-14 during a visuospatial working memory task. Results revealed that frontal TBR in tasks exhibited a different developmental trajectory (quadratic) compared to the baseline condition (linear). More importantly, we found that the association between task-related frontal TBR and age was modulated by task difficulty, with the age-related decrease in frontal TBR being more pronounced in more challenging conditions. Overall, by demonstrating a fine-grained age-related change in the frontal TBR based on a large dataset covering continuous age groups, our study provided electrophysiogical evidence about the maturation of attention control, suggesting potentially distinct developmental paths for attention control across the baseline and task conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Chen
- Dept. of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaheng Xiao
- Dept. of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Beijing CUSoft Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Dept. of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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Bauer W, Dylag KA, Lysiak A, Wieczorek-Stawinska W, Pelc M, Szmajda M, Martinek R, Zygarlicki J, Bańdo B, Stomal-Slowinska M, Kawala-Sterniuk A. Initial study on quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of bioelectrical activity of the brain of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) without epilepsy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:109. [PMID: 36596841 PMCID: PMC9810692 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26590-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are spectrum of neurodevelopmental conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. The FASD manifests mostly with facial dysmorphism, prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, and selected birth defects (including central nervous system defects). Unrecognized and untreated FASD leads to severe disability in adulthood. The diagnosis of FASD is based on clinical criteria and neither biomarkers nor imaging tests can be used in order to confirm the diagnosis. The quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) is a type of EEG analysis, which involves the use of mathematical algorithms, and which has brought new possibilities of EEG signal evaluation, among the other things-the analysis of a specific frequency band. The main objective of this study was to identify characteristic patterns in QEEG among individuals affected with FASD. This study was of a pilot prospective study character with experimental group consisting of patients with newly diagnosed FASD and of the control group consisting of children with gastroenterological issues. The EEG recordings of both groups were obtained, than analyzed using a commercial QEEG module. As a results we were able to establish the dominance of the alpha rhythm over the beta rhythm in FASD-participants compared to those from the control group, mostly in frontal and temporal regions. Second important finding is an increased theta/beta ratio among patients with FASD. These findings are consistent with the current knowledge on the pathological processes resulting from the prenatal alcohol exposure. The obtained results and conclusions were promising, however, further research is necessary (and planned) in order to validate the use of QEEG tools in FASD diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waldemar Bauer
- grid.9922.00000 0000 9174 1488Department of Automatic Control and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Anna Dylag
- St. Louis Children Hospital in Krakow, 30-663 Kraków, Poland ,grid.5522.00000 0001 2162 9631Department of Pathophysiology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow – Collegium Medicum, 31-121 Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam Lysiak
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | | | - Mariusz Pelc
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland ,grid.36316.310000 0001 0806 5472School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, SE10 9LS UK
| | - Miroslaw Szmajda
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | - Radek Martinek
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland ,grid.440850.d0000 0000 9643 2828Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, VSB—Technical University Ostrava—FEECS, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslaw Zygarlicki
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | - Bożena Bańdo
- St. Louis Children Hospital in Krakow, 30-663 Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Aleksandra Kawala-Sterniuk
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
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Frontal EEG alpha-delta ratio and social anxiety across early adolescence. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 175:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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