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Zhou X, Hong X, Wong PCM. Autistic Traits Modulate Social Synchronizations Between School-Aged Children: Insights From Three fNIRS Hyperscanning Experiments. Psychol Sci 2024:9567976241237699. [PMID: 38743614 DOI: 10.1177/09567976241237699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The current study investigated how autistic traits modulate peer interactions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning. Across three experiments, we tested the effect of copresence, joint activity, and a tangible goal during cooperative interactions on interbrain coherence (IBC) in school-aged children between 9 and 11 years old. Twenty-three dyads of children watched a video alone or together in Experiment 1, engaged in joint or self-paced book reading in Experiment 2, and pretended to play a Jenga game or played for real in Experiment 3. We found that all three formats of social interactions increased IBC in the frontotemporoparietal networks, which have been reported to support social interaction. Further, our results revealed the shared and unique interbrain connections that were predictive of the lower and higher parent-reported autism-spectrum quotient scores, which indicated child autistic traits. Results from a convergence of three experiments provide the first evidence to date that IBC is modulated by child autistic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Brain and Mind Institute, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Macquarie Park, Australia
| | - Xuancu Hong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Brain and Mind Institute, the Chinese University of Hong Kong
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Bayat M, Hernandez M, Curzon M, Garic D, Graziano P, Dick AS. Reduced recruitment of inhibitory control regions in very young children with ADHD during a modified Kiddie Continuous Performance Task: a fMRI study. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.17.576033. [PMID: 38293209 PMCID: PMC10827162 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.17.576033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptom profiles are known to undergo changes throughout development, rendering the neurobiological assessment of ADHD challenging across different developmental stages. Particularly in young children (ages 4 to 7 years), measuring inhibitory control network activity in the brain has been a formidable task due to the lack of child-friendly functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) paradigms. This study aims to address these difficulties by focusing on measuring inhibitory control in very young children within the MRI environment. A total of 56 children diagnosed with ADHD and 78 typically developing (TD) 4-7-year-old children were examined using a modified version of the Kiddie-Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT) during BOLD fMRI to assess inhibitory control. We concurrently evaluated their performance on the established and standardized K-CPT outside the MRI scanner. Our findings suggest that the modified K-CPT effectively elicited robust and expected brain activity related to inhibitory control in both groups. Comparisons between the two groups revealed subtle differences in brain activity, primarily observed in regions associated with inhibitory control, such as the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, dorsal striatum, medial pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), and cingulate cortex. Notably, increased activity in the right anterior insula was associated with improved response time (RT) and reduced RT variability on the K-CPT administered outside the MRI environment, although this did not survive statistical correction for multiple comparisons. In conclusion, our study successfully overcame the challenges of measuring inhibitory control in very young children within the MRI environment by utilizing a modified K-CPT during BOLD fMRI. These findings shed light on the neurobiological correlates of inhibitory control in ADHD and TD children, provide valuable insights for understanding ADHD across development, and potentially inform ADHD diagnosis and intervention strategies. The research also highlights remaining challenges with task fMRI in very young clinical samples.
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Zhou X, Wang L, Hong X, Wong PCM. Infant-directed speech facilitates word learning through attentional mechanisms: An fNIRS study of toddlers. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13424. [PMID: 37322865 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The speech register that adults especially caregivers use when interacting with infants and toddlers, that is, infant-directed speech (IDS) or baby talk, has been reported to facilitate language development throughout the early years. However, the neural mechanisms as well as why IDS results in such a developmental faciliatory effect remain to be investigated. The current study uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate two alternative hypotheses of such a facilitative effect, that IDS serves to enhance linguistic contrastiveness or to attract the child's attention. Behavioral and fNIRS data were acquired from twenty-seven Cantonese-learning toddlers 15-20 months of age when their parents spoke to them in either an IDS or adult-directed speech (ADS) register in a naturalistic task in which the child learned four disyllabic pseudowords. fNIRS results showed significantly greater neural responses to IDS than ADS register in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-dlPFC), but opposite response patterns in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The differences in fNIRS responses to IDS and to ADS in the L-dlPFC and the left parietal cortex (L-PC) showed significantly positive correlations with the differences in the behavioral word-learning performance of toddlers. The same fNIRS measures in the L-dlPFC and right PC (R-PC) of toddlers were significantly correlated with pitch range differences of parents between the two speech conditions. Together, our results suggest that the dynamic prosody in IDS increased toddlers' attention through greater involvement of the left frontoparietal network that facilitated word learning, compared to ADS. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This study for the first time examined the neural mechanisms of how infant-directed speech (IDS) facilitates word learning in toddlers. Using fNIRS, we identified the cortical regions that were directly involved in IDS processing. Our results suggest that IDS facilitates word learning by engaging a right-lateralized prosody processing and top-down attentional mechanisms in the left frontoparietal networks. The language network including the inferior frontal gyrus and temporal cortex was not directly involved in IDS processing to support word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Luchang Wang
- Department of Applied Linguistics, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xuancu Hong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Keating J, Hashmi S, Vanderwert RE, Davies RM, Jones CRG, Gerson SA. Embracing neurodiversity in doll play: Investigating neural and language correlates of doll play in a neurodiverse sample. Eur J Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 37731194 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Doll play may provide opportunities for children to rehearse social interactions, even when playing alone. Previous research has found that the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) was more engaged when children played with dolls alone, compared to playing with tablet games alone. Children's use of internal state language (ISL) about others was also associated with pSTS activity. As differences in social cognition are frequently observed in autistic people, we were interested in the brain and language correlates of doll play in children with varying levels of autistic traits. We investigated children's (N = 57, mean age = 6.72, SD = 1.53) use of ISL and their pSTS brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as they played with dolls and tablet games, both alone and with a social partner. We also investigated whether there were any effects of autistic traits using the parent-report Autism Spectrum Quotient-Children's Version (AQ-Child). We found that the left pSTS was engaged more as children played with dolls or a tablet with a partner, and when playing with dolls alone, compared to when playing with a tablet alone. Relations between language and neural correlates of social processing were distinct based on the degree of autistic traits. For children with fewer autistic traits, greater pSTS activity was associated with using ISL about others. For children with more autistic traits, greater pSTS activity was associated with experimenter talk during solo play. These divergent pathways highlight the importance of embracing neurodiversity in children's play patterns to best support their development through play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Keating
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Salim Hashmi
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ross E Vanderwert
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Rhys M Davies
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Catherine R G Jones
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sarah A Gerson
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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An fNIRS Study of Applicability of the Unity-Diversity Model of Executive Functions in Preschoolers. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12121722. [PMID: 36552181 PMCID: PMC9776044 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12121722] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive function (EF) includes a set of higher-order abilities that control one's actions and thoughts consciously and has a protracted developmental trajectory that parallels the maturation of the frontal lobes, which develop speedily over the preschool period. To fully understand the development of EF in preschoolers, this study examined the relationship among the three domains of executive function (cognitive shifting, inhibitory control, and working memory) to test the applicability of the unity-diversity model in preschoolers using both behavioral and fNIRS approaches. Altogether, 58 Chinese preschoolers (34 boys, 24 girls, Mage = 5.86 years, SD = 0.53, age range = 4.83-6.67 years) were administered the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS), go/no-go, and missing scan task. Their brain activations in the prefrontal cortex during the tasks were examined using fNIRS. First, the behavioral results indicated that the missing scan task scores (working memory) correlated with the DCCS (cognitive shifting) and go/no-go tasks (inhibitory control). However, the latter two did not correlate with each other. Second, the fNIRS results demonstrated that the prefrontal activations during the working memory task correlated with those in the same regions during the cognitive shifting and inhibitory control tasks. However, the latter two still did not correlate. The behavioral and neuroimaging evidence jointly indicates that the unity-diversity model of EF does apply to Chinese preschoolers.
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Fiske A, de Klerk C, Lui KYK, Collins-Jones L, Hendry A, Greenhalgh I, Hall A, Scerif G, Dvergsdal H, Holmboe K. The neural correlates of inhibitory control in 10-month-old infants: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. Neuroimage 2022; 257:119241. [PMID: 35537598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control, a core executive function, emerges in infancy and develops rapidly across childhood. Methodological limitations have meant that studies investigating the neural correlates underlying inhibitory control in infancy are rare. Employing functional near-infrared spectroscopy alongside a novel touchscreen task that measures response inhibition, this study aimed to uncover the neural underpinnings of inhibitory control in 10-month-old infants (N = 135). We found that when inhibition was required, the right prefrontal and parietal cortices were more activated than when there was no inhibitory demand. This demonstrates that inhibitory control in infants as young as 10 months of age is supported by similar brain areas as in older children and adults. With this study we have lowered the age-boundary for localising the neural substrates of response inhibition to the first year of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Fiske
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Carina de Klerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Y K Lui
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Liam Collins-Jones
- Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Isobel Greenhalgh
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Hall
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Institute of Mental Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik Dvergsdal
- Nord University Business School, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Organisation, Bodø, Norway
| | - Karla Holmboe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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